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SIMON  GRATZ  FUND 


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ORGANIZED  CAMPING  AND 
PROGRESSIVE  EDUCATION 

By 
CARLOS  EDGAR  WARD.  PH.D. 


ORGANIZED  CAMPING  AND 
PROGRESSIVE  EDUCATION 

By 
CARLOS  EDGAR  WARD.  ['H.D. 


Copy  rigKtwJ  Auf?.  5,  1035  \y^ 

C.  E.  Wa\R,D,  GALAX,  VA. 


PREFACE 

"Please  tell  me  what  book  to  read  in  order  to  get  a  clear  understand- 
ing of  the  origins  and  background  of  the  wSummer  Camp,'*  requested 
a  graduate  student,  who  looked  forward  to  becoming  a  counselor. 
Despite  the  fact  that  much  camp  experience  has  been  written  and  pub- 
lished, bibliographies  did  not  seem  to  reveal  just  the  kind  of  book 
desired. 

The  author's  purpose  has  been  to  write  a  book  which  might  prove 
useful  for  the  orientation  of  students  in  this  free  and  experimental  field 
of  progressive  education;  to  provide  a  source  book  of  helpful  practices 
and  processes  for  counselors,  prospective  counselors  and  camp  direc- 
tors ;  and  to  bring  to  parents  a  more  understanding  interest  in  the  pos- 
sibilities and  limitations  of  organized  camping.  It  is  hoped  that  as 
we  come  to  see  organized  camping  in  perspective,  to  view  its  strength 
and  weaknesses,  its  successes  and  failures,  to  understand  its  experimen- 
tal status  and  point  of  view,  those  for  whom  camping  relationships  are 
new  may  be  able  to  avoid  the  practices  which  have  proved  unsound  and 
that  an  attitude  of  continuous  critical  inquiry  may  be  inspired. 

The  book  has  been  written  in  three  parts,  each  of  which  is  intended 
to  serve  a  distinct  purpose :  Part  I,  to  sketch  a  picture  of  the  movement 
in  the  setting  of  American  civilized  life;  Part  II,  to  bring  the  reader 
a  "close-up"  of  actual  camping  experiences  as  lived  by  campers,  coun- 
selors, and  directors;  and,  Part  III,  to  evaluate  the  organized  camp 
in  the  light  of  modern  social  science  and  educational  theory  so  that 
readers  may  be  aided  in  finding  their  desired  relationship  to  the  move- 
ment and  thus  be  ready  to  share  in  guiding  its  course  toward  an  in- 
creasing measure  of  service  to  our  changing  social  order. 

With  a  wide  range  of  readers  in  mind,  the  language  of  the  book 
has  been  kept  as  free  from  technical  terms  as  possible.  It  is  hoped 
that  it  may  bring  to  camp  directors  a  new  sense  of  the  importance  of 
their  profession  and  that  they  may  be  stimulated  to  keep  free  from 
unthinking  grooves  of  practice — that  they  may  not  become  "Fundamen- 
talists" for  some  pet  theory,  but  that  they  may  determine  to  continu- 
ously re-think  their  camp  procedures  with  the  guidance  of  their  indi- 
vidual campers  in  mind.  It  is  hoped  that  counselors  may  find  a  new 
sense  of  loyalty  to  their  directors  and  a  greater  appreciation  of  the 
opportunities  which  their  positions  provide.  It  is  hoped  that  parents 
may  be  led  to  thoroughly  investigate  the  camps  they  patronize  and  that 
they  may  be  aided  in  selecting  progressive  and  creative  camps  rather 
than  backward  and  academic  types. 

V 

J^'ree  Library, 

463417 


vi  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

For  six  years  the  author  was  a  participant  in  the  experiences  de- 
scribed in  Part  II  of  this  book,  first  as  counselor  and  finally  as  camp 
director.  Having  kept  in  touch  by  visits  and  correspondence  during 
the  next  four  years  he  had  an  opportunity  to  understand  thoroughly 
the  setting  from  which  this  data  was  derived. 

It  is  a  privilege  to  acknowledge  indebtedness  to  a  large  number  of 
camp  directors  and  counselors,  for  their  interest  and  co-operation  in 
sending  materials  and  for  helpful  suggestions.  Acknowledgment  is 
also  made  to  the  agencies  which  conduct  camps ;  such  as,  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
Y.  W.  C.  A.,  Boy  Scouts,  Girl  Scouts,  Boys'  Clubs,  Camp  Fire  Girls, 
Churches,  City  Recreational  Departments,  and  other  societi».s  and  agen- 
cies, for  co-operation  in  collecting  materials. 

But  for  the  friendly  interest  and  encouragement  of  members  of  the 
faculty  of  the  Y.  M.  C  A,  Graduate  School  of  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
the  work  would  never  have  been  undertaken,  and  to  them  much  credit 
is  due  for  helpful  suggestions  and  consultation.  Especial  acknowledg- 
ment is  made  to  Dr.  Walter  L.  Stone,  Dr.  Dagnall  F.  Folger,  Mr.  J. 
J.  Ray,  who  read  and  criticized  the  manuscript.  They  are  in  no  sense 
responsible,  however,  for  the  views  presented. 

During  the  decade  during  which  this  study  was  in  progress,  several 
other  studies  in  the  field  of  camping  were  made.  Some  of  these  were 
published  and  have  greatly  influenced  the  camping  movement.  Mention 
should  be  made  of  "Camping  and  Character,"  by  Dimock  and  Hendry; 
"The  Summer  Camp :  A  New  Factor  in  Education,"  by  Elwell ;  "Camp- 
ing and  Education,"  by  Mason ;  "Education  and  the  Summer  Camp,"  by 
Sharp,  and  "Creative  Camping,"  by  Lieberman.  These  works  have 
been  very  helpful  and  inspiring  to  the  author  in  preparing  this  book 
and  presenting  it  to  the  public. 

C.  E.  Ward. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Part  I 
Historical  Analysis  of  Organized  Camping 

Chapter  1.     The  Period  of  Beginnings 

Chapter  2.     Expansion  of  Summer  Camp  Movement     . 
Chapter  3.     The  Summer  Camp  Becomes  Academic     . 


PAGE 

3 
21 
39 


Part  II 

A  Decade  of  Experimental  Camping — A  Case  Study 

Chapter  4.     A  Fixed  Program 55 

Chapter  5.     A   Self-Governing   Camp   Without  Awards     ...  75 

Chapter  6.     An   Experiment   in   Co-operative   Living     ....  101 


Part  III 

TJie  Modern  Camping  Movement 
Chapter  7.     Educational  Changes  in  Modern  Camps     . 
Chapter  8.     Problems  and  Lags  of  Organized  Camping 
Chapter  9.     Trends   within  the   Camping   Movement     . 

Chapter  10.  The  Future  of  Camping 

Bibliography 


123 
146 
156 
167 
175 


HISTORICAL  ANALYSIS  OF 
ORGANIZED  CAMPING 


Part  I 

HISTORICAL  ANALYSIS  OF 
ORGANIZED  CAMPING 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  PERIOD  OF  BEGINNINGS 

The  complete  history  of  the  beginnings  of  the  Summer  Camp  Move- 
ment has  not  been  written  and  the  cultural  background  from  which  it 
sprang  is  little  understood.  Supporters  of  organized  camping  quote 
a  statement  by  the  late  Dr.  Elliot  of  Harvard  that  the  summer  camp 
is  America's  distinctive  contribution  to  education  without  questioning 
why  this  movement  should  have  grown  up  in  America  rather  than 
Europe.  When  we  trace  a  movement  into  its  cultural  background  we 
find  it  like  a  tree,  with  its  roots  spreading  and  connecting  with  wider 
and  wider  reaches  of  culture ;  we  may  hope  to  trace  out  only  the  more 
important  cultural  roots  from  which  grew  the  organized  camp  move- 
ment. 

We  may  say  with  Mr.  Lehman  that  "camping  is  as  old  as  the  human 
race"  and  think  of  how  primitive  men  "for  thousands  of  years,  slept, 
ate,  worked  and  carried  on  practically  all  functions  of  life  under  the 
free  heavens." 

The  American  Indian  was  most  successful  in  making  this  adaptation.  He 
cherished  a  fraternal  understanding  of  the  elements  and  mingled  in  a  fanciful, 
brotherly  fellowship  with  the  birds  and  animals,  with  the  trees  and  flowers,  with 
water  and  winds.  He  acquired  a  practical  physical  skill,  hunting,  fishing,  riding, 
paddling,  and  fighting ;  a  practical  mental  acuteness  in  knowing  how  to  live  in  the 
woods  or  find  his  way  through  the  forests  where  othersi  might  perish.  Camping 
in  the  early  sense  was  begun  in  America  by  these  Indians  hundreds  of  years 
before  the  landing  of ,  Columbus.' 

Much  of  this  mode  of  life  was  from  necessity  learned  by  the  white 
men  who  came  to  America  and  had  to  live  amid  the  wilderness  condi- 
tions ;  it  continued  to  be  used  by  those  pioneers  who  moved  on  west- 
ward across  the  continent  for  almost  a  century  after  the  founding  of 
the  republic. 

While  pioneering  continued  on  the  frontiers,  centers  of  population 
were  growing  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  country'.  The  old  Puritan 
heritage  of  New  England  on  the  one  hand  or  the  Victorian  Era  of 
English  Civilization  on  the  other  tended  more  and  more  to  convention- 
alize life  and  few  seemed  to  break  away  from  the  customary  ways  of 
living. 


^Lehman,  E.  H.,  Camping,  Encyclopedia  Brittanica,  Vol.  4,  page  682. 

3 


4  Orgcmized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Edttcation 

Causes  of  Renewed  Interest  in  Outdoor  Life 

After  the  "Civil  War"  a  comparatively  rapid  change  took  place: 
cities  grew;  the  country  turned  more  and  more  from  an  agricultural 
to  an  industrial  and  a  commercial  nation;  by  1880  a  quarter  of  the 
population  was  living  in  cities.  We  may  well  trace  the  idea  of  a  return 
to  nature  and  the  simple  life  back  to  the  Transcendentalists,  especially 
to  Henry  David  Thoreau  of  whom  it  was  said  that  as  a  boy  Henry 
drove  his  mother's  cows  to  the  pastures  and  thus  early  became  enam- 
ored of  certain  aspects  of  nature  and  of  certain  delights  of  solitude. 
When  this  boy  was  but  twelve  years  old  he  had  made  collections  for 
Agassiz.  who  had  just  arrived  in  America. 

In  1845  this  young  man,  considered  an  eccentric  by  the  people  of 
his  own  town,  went  out'  into  the  woods  on  Walden  Pond,  built  a  hut, 
and  lived  for  two  years  amid  the  natural  surroundings  he  loved  so  much. 
Marvelous  stories  of  his  understanding  and  friendly  fellowship  with 
birds  and  animals  have  come  down  to  us.  His  written  account  of  these 
experiences  published  in  1854  stirred  the  imagination,  and  made  inter- 
esting and  delightful  reading. ^  Certain  series  of  books  for  boys  were 
inspired  by  the  interest  created  by  the  writings  of  George  W.  Sears 
as  "Nesmuk"  and  of  the  Rev.  W.  H.  H.  Murray.-^  Such  books  pictur- 
ing the  jovs  and  adventures  of  the  wild  free  life  became  numerous  and 
stimulated  desire  for  adventure — to  get  away  from  the  cite'  and  to  enjoy 
outdoor  life. 

The  Mexican  war  with  its  hundreds  of  volunteers  going  on  military 
campaigns  tended  in  the  same  direction ;  then  came  the  War  between 
the  States  and  for  four  years  young  men  lived  in  the  open  or  in  Army 
camps.  As  soldiers,  always  held  in  high  esteem  in  war  time,  described 
their  experiences  or  were  seen  to  train  for  service  or  to  parade  on  their 
return,  boys  imitated  them  by  marching  and  by  sleeping  out  in  the  open 
rolled  in  blankets  or  by  putting  up  tents  and  living  in  them.  After  the 
war,  veterans  began  to  hold  reunions  and  on  these  occasions  usually 
spent  a  few  days  in  tented  encampments. 

Early  School  "Camp  Outs" 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frederick  William  Gunn.  who  ran  the  Gunnery  School 
at  Washington.  Connecticut,  found  their  schoolboys  so  eager  for  march- 
ing and  outdoor  life  in  1861  that  they  took  the  whole  school  on  a  forty- 
mile  gypsy  trip  that  summer,  and  camped  for  two  weeks  on  the  Sound 
at  Milford,  near  New  Haven.  This  proved  to  be  such  a  delightful 
experience  that  it  was  repeated  again  in  1863  and  in  1865.  This  school 
then  divided  the  school  year  into  two  terms,  a  winter  and  a  summer 
term  of  ecjual  length,  after  the  fashion  of  the  schools  of  Europe.  W^hen 
they  changed  to  the  American  school  calendar  Mr.  Gunn  thought  the 


'Thoreau,  Henry  David,  Waldeii,   1854. 

'Sear.s,  Geo.  W.,  Woodcraft,  by  "Nesmuk."  This  book  described  camping  for 
pleasure  and  recreation.  "Adventures  in  the  Wilderness,"  by  Rev.  W.  H.  H.  Murray, 
was  quite  popular. 


The  Period  of  Begi/tfii/igs  5 

summer  vacation  too  long  so  in  1872  he  called  his  pupils  for  a  period 
of  camping";  and  for  12  years  two  weeks  of  camjjing  was  a  i)art  of  the 
school  regime.  Judge  A.  S.  Clarke,  who  founded  the  Kewaydin  Camps 
in  1893,  was  one  of  the  former  Gunnery  Schoolhoys."* 

In  1876  Dr.  Joseph  Trimble  Rothrock,  a  practicing  physician  much 
interested  in  conservation  and  forestry,  gathered  a  group  of  "weakly" 
boys  and  ran  what  he  called  a  "School  of  Physical  Culture,"  a  name 
which  he  coined.  They  lived  in  large  tents  on  a  large  plot  of  ground 
adjacent  to  the  summer  hotel — The  North  Mountain  House  near 
Wilkes-Barre,  Pennsylvania.  This  "School  of  Physical  Culture"  was 
one  of  the  forerunners  of  the  organized  camp. 

A  subscriber's  letter  published  in  the  editorial  column  of  the  Wilkes- 
Barro  Times  on  Tuesday,  July  18,  1876,  described  the  new  educational 
venture  at  length  and  coinmended  the  efifort  Dr.  Rothrock  was  making. 
The  writer  said :  "We  all  are  or  should  be  interested  in  the  education 
of  the  young;  but  too  often  we  are  inclined  to  press  the  mental  education 
at  the  expense  of  the  physical,  and  as  a  legitimate  result  many  of  our 
boys  are  rendered  useless  to  the  country  because  we  force  development 
in  one  direction  and  fail  to  assist  nature  in  another.'' 

He  stated  that  eighteen  boys  were  in  camp  and  more  were  expected. 
The  school  was  operated  all  summer  and  boys  could  enter  for  six  weeks 
or  more.  The  forenoon  was  usually  taken  up  with  drawing,  gymnastic 
exercises,  surveying,  and  barometric  observations,  while  the  afternoons 
were  devoted  to  recreation,  such  as  swimming,  rowing,  target  practice, 
and  other  sports.  The  regular  routine  was  often  broken  by  trips  and 
overnight  hikes  into  the  woods  and  by  two-or-three-day  fishing  trips. 
These  early  campers  discovered  the  annoyance  of  gnats  and  mosquitoes. 
They  seemed  surprised  and  pleased  that  while  living  this  way  in  the 
open  with  much  exposure  to  the  weather  no  illness  had  resulted.  In 
October,  however,  an  epidemic  of  typhoid  brought  illness  to  three- 
fourths  of  those  still  in  camp. 

This  early  experiment  at  camping  was  typical  of  many  later  efforts 
in  the  fact  that  it  closed  with  a  deficit.  The  second  year  Dr.  Rothrock 
went  on  an  exploring  expedition  to  Alaska  and  his  camp  had  small 
attendance.  In  1878  two  young  men  assumed  control  and  by  advertising 
in  the  Wilkcs-Barrc  Times  and  the  Philadelphia  Bulletin  they  increased 
the  camp  enrollment  to  twenty  boys.  This  time  they  paid  the  bills  and 
the  counselors,  but  produced  no  profit ;  this  was  the  last  year  of  the 
effort.^ 

Pioneer  Church  Camping  Trips 

But  Dr.  Rothrock's  "school"  was  not  the  only  forerunner  of  organ- 
ized camping.     Others  were  working  on  similar  ideas  at  the  same  time, 


"Much  research  on  the  early  history  of  the  Summer  Camp  has  been  done  by 
Porter  Sargent  and  his  annual  handbooks,  "Summer  Camps,"  (1924-1933)  provide 
the  sources  for  many  of  these  facts. 

'Editorial  Page — WUkes-Barre  Times,  July   18.   1876. 

"Keiser,  David  S.,  "An  1876  Summer  Camp,"  Summer  Camps,  1929,  pages  14 
to   18. 


6  Orga^iized  Campi?ig  and  Progressive  Education 

each  believing  himself  to  be  a  pioneer  or  a  discoverer.  Another  of 
these  pioneer  campers  was  Rev.  G.  W.  Hinckley,  who  established  his 
camps  for  boys  as  a  part  of  his  church  program,  with  a  serious  reli- 
gious purpose.  Reminiscently  describing  his  camp  experiences  a  few 
years  ago  he  told  how  in  the  time  of  his  boyhood  all  New  England 
stayed  indoors  and  feared  the  "night  air."  Even  after  he  was  filled 
with  the  desire  for  camping  by  reading  Rev.  W.  H.  H.  Murray's  books, 
his  father  would  not  allow  him  to  try  it  until  he  was  21  years  of  age. 

He  started  with  personal  camping  trips  for  pleasure ;  then  as  a  school 
teacher  he  often  camped  out  with  his  schoolboys  for  a  few  days  at 
a  time.  He  found  that  by  this  means  he  came  closer  to  the  boys  than 
in  usual  school  relationships  and  that  discipline  was  not  broken  down 
thereby  as  people  had  predicted. 

In  1880  during  his  first  year  in  the  ministry  he  took  some  boys  from 
his  parish  out  camping  in  ten<;s  on  Gardiner's  Island,  near  Wakefield, 
Rhode  Island.  Included  in  his  party  of  seven  boys  were  three  Chinese 
high  school  youths  who  were  being  educated  in  America.  Quoting  him : 
"We  had  a  regular  daily  program,  such  religious  observances  as  seemed 
adapted  to  the  group,  story-telling,  swimming,  boating,  fishing,  and  an 
evening  service."^  This  camp-minded  minister  continued  his  efforts 
until  he  had  established  the  Good  Will  Farms  and  the  Good  Will  En- 
campments. For  fourteen  years  these  encampments  were  open  to  boys 
other  than  those  of  the  Good  Will  Farms,  but  when  private  boys'  camps 
were  opened  the  Good  Will  Camps  discontinued  accepting  boys  outside 
their  own  membership. 

As  we  have  seen,  Mr.  Hinckley  gave  large  credit  to  Rev.  Murray 
for  the  inspiration  of  the  summer  camp.     He  wrote : 

I  have  looked  upon  "Adirondack  Murray"  not  as  the  Father  of  the  Boys' 
Summer  Camp,  but  father  of  the  great  outdoor  movement  out  of  which  they 
sprang.  His  own  camping  was  for  personal  recreation  only,  but  without  his 
brilliant  descriptions  of  the  glories  of  the  open,  I  am  not  sure  the  camp  move- 
ment would  have  been  born  when  it  was,  but  it  was  l)ound  to  come  sometime." 

The  period  from  1880  to  1900  was  marked  by  reaction  against  city 
life  and  a  turn  toward  imitation  of  the  pioneers.'-'  Vacations  had  been 
spent  almost  entirely  in  summer  hotels,  but  now  return  to  the  primitive 
— living  in  tents  here  and  there  in  the  woods — came  to  hold  an  appeal. 
"Roughing-it"  in  some  fashion  became  almost  as  popular  as  "touring" 
has  been  the  past  decade.  Families  and  larger  camping  parties  went 
camping  for  short  periods  of  time.  Outdoor  life  magazines  flourished 
and  their  writings  described  the  experiences  of  these  camping  trips. 

Boys'  cami)s  sprang  uj)  as  a  part  of  this  movement  for  outdoor  recre- 
ation— a  reaction  against  the  city's  conventional  monotony.  There  were 
r.eitiier  definite  educational  philosophies  nor  definitely  worked  out  ob- 

'Ilinckk-y,  G.  W..  "An  1880  Camp  in  Rhode  Island,"  Summer  Camps,  1929, 
pages    17-23. 

7/W,   p.    22. 

'Filf's  of  old  magazines;  such  as,  "Outing,"  "St.  Nicholas,"  etc.,  show  this  tran- 
sition. 


The  Period  of  Beginnings  7 

jectives,  just  vague  purposes  to  better  the  lives  of  the  boys  through 
association  in  action,  free  and  voluntarily  entered  into. 

American  Background 

Probably  the  most  distinctive  reason  why  the  summer  camp  should 
have  originated  in  America  may  be  found  in  the  American  school  cal- 
endar. In  pioneer  America  children  were  educated  as  they  lived  on 
farms  and  learned  to  help  adults  with  necessary  farm  work.  Schools 
were  introduced  for  three  months  in  the  winter  to  supplement  with 
"book-learning"  the  education  which  went  on  daily  in  farm  and  village 
life.  Gradually  school  terms  were  lengthened.  Then  people  moved  into 
cities  where  children  no  longer  had  occasion  to  help  their  parents  during 
the  summer,  but  the  school  calendar  had  become  fixed  in  custom  and 
schools  continued  to  close  in  the  summer. 

Early  schools  needed  no  study  of'  nature  lore,  manual  training,  han- 
dicraft, or  other  extra-curricular  activities.  All  they  needed  to  round 
out  the  education  of  farm  boys  and  girls  was  the  "three  R's".  With 
little  critical  thinking  educators  took  this  same  traditional  school  into 
the  city  and  "standardized"  it.  The  School  with  its  emphasis  on  fun- 
damental academic  skills,  at  first  merely  a  supplement  to  education, 
gradually  came  to  assume  that  it  was  the  whole  of  education,  but  no 
provision  was  made  for  the  summer  months.  In  Europe,  where  the 
school  calendar  did  not  grow  out  of  pioneer  traditions,  many  schools 
operate  throughout  the  year  except  for  brief  holiday  periods. 

Rapid  urbanization  of  population  brought  us  face  to  face  with  the 
problem  of  how  to  give  back  to  the  city  child  what  the  city  has  taken 
from  him — an  educational  heritage.  Air.  Sargent  has  suggested  the 
summer  camp  to  fill  this  gap  in  modern  education.  He  has  said  of  our 
educators  that 

they  have  lost  sight  of  the  fact  that  all  the  training  in  crafts,  nature,  resource- 
fulness, initiative  and  executive  capacity,  that  belonged  to  three  and  four  gener- 
ations ago  has  passed,  that  home  and  community  life  is  no  longer  what  it  was, 
that  a  void  has  been  left  in  the  life  of  the  growing  boy  and  girl. 

In  education  the  elaboration  of  book  learning,  of  formal  school  methods  re- 
moved from  life,  gave  us  something  that  looked  well  from  the  point  of  view  of 
the  pedagogue,  but  lacked  the  life-giving  elements  of  the  earlier  education.  So 
into  the  neglected  period  of  the  summer  months  has  come  the  summer  camp  with 
its  opportunities  to  restore  something  of  the  essential  elements  of  what  made  our 
grandfathers  and  grandmothers  what  they  were.^".  .  .  The  ideas  and  practices  in- 
herent in  the  summer  camp  may  be  the  means  of  rectifying  the  evils  of  our  civ- 
ilization. All  that  the  summer  camp  stands  for  carries  us  back  to  the  primitive — 
what  is  fundamental  in  human  nature,  what  is  biologically  sound." 

We  hold  then  that  factors  which  prepared  the  way  for  organized 
camping  include:  (1)  breaking  away  from  conventional  life  by  Thoreau 
and  other  lovers  of  the  outdoors  who  popularized  their  experiences 
through  writing;  (2)  influences  toward  adventure  and  outdoor  living 
that  came  from  the  Mexican  and  Civil  Wars;   (3)   rapid  urbanization 

^"Sargent,  Porter,  Summer  Camps.   1931,  pp.  22-23. 


8  Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

and  industrialization  which  caused  people  to  seek  relief  from  cramped 
living  and  working  conditions;  (4)  increase  of  wealth  and  improved 
means  of  transportation,  which  made  it  possihle  to  escape  to  the  open; 
and  (5)  the  scliool  calendar  which  made  no  provision  for  the  summer 
months. 

It  has  been  difficult  to  secure  historical  material  on  the  early  begin- 
nings of  the  summer  camp  movement.  A  few  articles  in  periodicals 
described  the  first  camps  and  played  a  great  part  in  spreading  the  idea. 
Sargent  thus  describes  his  own  efforts  to  learn  this  early  history  and 
the  discovery  he  made  when  he  first  became  interested  in  camps  in  1914. 

At  that  time  the  summer  camp  was  little  in  the  public  mind  and  had  only 
vaguely  presented  itself  to  me.  I  had  heard,  it  is  true,  of  boys  and  teachers  who 
had  a  part  in  such  summer  adventures  and  it  seemed  appropriate  that  the  Private 
School  Handbook  should  tell  something  about  this  new  educational  development, 
and  so  I  began  to  correspond  and  to  collect  material.  It  was  this  that  led  me  to 
the  discovery  of  the  summer  camp. 

I  became  interested.  I  wanted  to  know  who  started  it,  how  many  camps  there 
were  and  where  they  were  located.  Therd  was  nothing  in  print  about  it  except 
a  few  furtive  magazine  articles.  A  few  camp  men  were  able  to  give  me  clues  as 
to  where  they  got  their  ideas. 

Tracing  these  back  I  discovered,  not  only  once  but  several  times,  the  man 
who  thought  he  had  originated  the  summer  camp.  But  always  something  seemed 
to  lie  beyond,  and  eventually  I  found  the  man  who  conceived  the  whole  move- 
ment, and  brought  the  summer  camp  to  perfection  in  a  few  years,  and  then  dis- 
couraged by  the  coldness  of  its  reception,  threw  the  whole  thing  up  and  had  been 
spending  some  years  in  the  wilds  of  Yucatan." 

The  Origin  of  the  Camping  Program 

After  definite  and  prolonged  research  Mr.  Sargent  turned  to  Ernest 
Balch  as  the  real  founder  of  the  summer  camp  movement. 

Ernest  Balch  started  his  camp  in  1881  as  the  result  of  deliberate  planning  to 
meet  a  particular  need.  All  the  essential  features  of  the  organized  camps  as 
we  have  them  today  were  worked  out  by  him  at  Camp  Chocorua.  Moreover  his 
camp  was  maintained  continuously  on  the  same  site  for  nine  years  and  as  a  result 
of  its  influence  other  camps  were  established  which  followed  his  practices  and 
many  of  his  old  campers  later  established  camps  of  their  own." 

When  finally  located  and  asked  about  the  camp,  Mr.  Balch  wrote  a 
history  of  it  as  he  remembered  it.  He  said  :  "I  first  thought  of  the 
boys'  camp  as  an  institution  in  1880.  The  miserable  condition  of  boys 
belonging  to  well-to-do  families  in  summer  hotels,  considered  from  the 
point  of  view  of  their  right  development,  set  me  to  looking  for  a  sub- 
stitute."^'* 

In  July,  1880,  with  his  brother,  another  friend,  and  two  boys  he 
hiked  from  their  home  near  Plymouth  to  Asquam  Lake.  Holderness, 
New  Hampshire,  and  on  that  trip  he  "began  to  think  out  a  plan  for 
an. organized  boys'  camp  oi)en  to  admission  as  a  school  but  on  camp 
lines  of  a  severe  character."  Through  the  following  winter  as  a  Soph- 
omore at  Dartmouth  he  continued  to  think  out  his  plans  and  in  June, 

"Sargent,  Porter,  Summer  Camps.  1924,  Foreword. 

"Sargent,  Porter.  Summer  Camps,   1931,  page  36. 

"Balch.  E.  B.,  The  P^irst  Camp  Chocorua,  Summer  Camps,  1924,  pp.  30-41. 


The  Period  of  Brginnings  9 

1881,  he  again  set  out  for  the  lake  to  put  his  plans  into  execution.  He 
bought  an  island  in  the  lake  and  with  a  camp  "faculty"  of  himself,  his 
brother,  and  two  other  college  men.  started  to  build  the  camp  which 
they  named  Chocorua  after  the  mountain  which  brings  special  charm 
to  the  scenery  of  Asquam  Lake. 

Very  little  advertising  had  been  done;  first  because  they  had  little 
money,  and  second,  because  this  was  such  a  new  idea.  The  wise  ones 
consulted  had  all  been  of  one  mind — that  such  a  venture  could  not  suc- 
ceed ;  that  people  would  hesitate  more  about  sending  their  boys  out 
into  the  woods  to  a  camp  with  a  man  they  did  not  know  than  in  send- 
ing them  to  a  school  whose  headmaster  was  new  to  them.  So  Mr. 
Balch  and  his  friends  worked  busily  on  the  island  while,  as  he  says, 
they  "waited  for  a  rush  of  boys  to  appear."  Some  of  his  own  descrip- 
tion of  this  camp  venture  written  many  years*  later  shows  not  only  the 
simple  beginnings,  but  the  definite  ideas  of  this  pioneer  in  a  new  scheme 
of  educational  endeavor. 

"In  July  Charlie  Benjamin  from  Washington  arrived,  a  boy  whose 
relatives  none  of  us  ever  met.  .  .  .  He  was  followed  by  his  cousin 
and  then  three  boys  from  Boston  and  we  had  a  camp,  the  first  organized 
camp  for  boys."^'^  Some  of  the  salient  paragraphs  which  indicate  the 
ideas  held  and  the  methods  used  are  given  below  in  Mr.  Balch's  words : 

The  first  theory  was  that  there  should  be  no  servants  in  the  camp ;  that  camp 
work  must  all  be  done  by  the  boys  and  faculty.  Another  was  that  the  boys  must 
be  trained  to  master  the  lake.  ...  A  systematic  and  complex  plan  was  thought 
out  to  provide  safety  for*  the  boys  and  teach  them  swimming,  diving,  boatwcrk, 
canoeing,  and  sailing. 

A  third  idea  which  began  the  second  year  was  to  teach  the  boys  the  use  of 
money.  Practically  all  of  them  were  sons  of  well-to-do  people.  A  few  of  them 
were  sons  of  wealthy  parents  and  had  a  vague  conception  of  money  and  somewhat 
snobbish  tendencies.  I  designed  the  camp  to  be  of  a  really  demociatic  spirit.  .  .  . 
We  began  with  clothes — as  soon  as  possible  a  uniform  was  prescribed  for  full 
dress  and  a  standard  set  for  camp  accessories. 

.  .  .  The  best  method  of  teaching  the  value  of  money  to  a  hoy  is  to  have 
him  earn  what  he  needs  for  his  pleasures.  Very  early  the  rule  was  made  that 
each  boy  had  an  allowance  of  twenty-five  cents  a  week,  with  a  total  of  two  dollars 
and  a  half  for  the  summer.  .  .  .  If  he  wished  he  could  draw  it  weekly  and 
throw  it  into  the  lake.  It  was  his.  .  .  .  Except  for  his  allowance  he  could  not 
receive  a  cent  as  a  gift  during  the  summer  nor  use  any  money  at  camp  saved  or 
owned  by  him  unless  he  had  earned  it  at  regular  working  rates.'"" 

Unearned  money  was  all  taken  from  boys  on  arrival  and  returned 
to  them  on  departure  from  camp.  The  boys  soon  found  they  needed 
more  money  than  their  allowance ;  for  Mr.  Balch's  brother  was  a  good 
canoe  builder,  and  each  boy  desired  to  own  a  canoe  as  soon  as  possible. 
This  desire  was  used  as  "an  incentive  to  boy  development."  The  mate- 
rials for  a  canoe  cost  from  three  to  six  dollars ;  old  ones  might  be 
bought  even  cheaper  by  boys  not  able  to  build.  There  were  always  ways 
to  earn  money  about  camp  by  "contracting"  to  build  some  camp  im- 
provement or  by  hiring  to  some  boy  to  wash  his  set  of  dishes.     By  the 

^^/bid..  pp.  30-41. 
^"Of.  cit.,  p.  30-41. 


10  OrgmizecL  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

second  summer  a  boy  would  have  some  money  he  had  earned  at  regular 
working  rates  at  home  during  the  winter— it  might  be  by  shmmg  shoes, 
sometimes  his  own.  or  for  other  members  of  the  family  or  for  others— 
at  five  cents  per  pair. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Balch.  who  visited  the  camp  in  its  fifth  year,  gave 
the  number  of  campers  as  twenty-five  with  a  faculty  of  five  men._  She 
found  camp  life  attractive  and  pleasant  despite  the  seemmg  seventy  of 
which  her  brother  wrote. 

"Freedom  without  license"  might  almost  be  the  camp  motto,  so  careless,  happy 
and  untrammeled  were  the  lads,  yet  so  perfect  is  the  discipline.  One  of  the  first 
principles  of  the  camp  system  is  that  in  every  way  the  faculty  shall  live  the  sairie 
lives  as  the  boys  themselves,  sharing  their  work  as  well  as  their  pleasures ;  the 
sspirit  existing  between  the  two  is  therefore  far  less  that  of  master  and  pupil  than 
that  of  good  comrades  who  are  at  the  same  time  helpful  friends.  ' 
That  "sharing"  must  have  been  the  keynote  of  the  camp's  happy  expe- 
riences. ^       e         ■        t 

When  we  realize  that  these  campers  did  all  the  work  of  caring  tor 
themselves;  prepared  their  food,  washed  their  dishes  and  clothes,  built 
canoes  and  boats,  did  camp  construction  jobs,  kept  their  camp  clean  and 
in  order,  there  is  an  evident  contrast  with  the  situation  in  many  modern 
camps  where  too  much  is  done  for  them. 

The  GOLDEN  ROD  is  the  camp  newspaper.  It  is  edited  and  entirely  con- 
ducted by  the  boys.  In  its  columns  appears  a  notice  to  the  effect  that  the  "Good 
Will  Contracting  Company  washes  clothes,  irons  clothes,  cleans  and  tidies  beaches, 
builds  piers,  stone  walls,  steps.,  etc.,  carries  dirt  and  publishes  newspapers. '  From 
this  announcement  idleness  would  seem  to  stand  but  a  poor  chance  at  Camp 
Chocorua  These  boys  are  divided  into  four  crews,  and  these  crews  undertake 
in  turn  the  different  kinds  of  work  :  One  day  the  cooking ;  the  next,  dishvvashing ; 
the  third  police  duty,  which  includes  the  tidying  of  the  beaches,  and  all  work 
assigned  to  no  other  crew.  The  fourth  day  is  "Off  Duty."  This  changes  the 
kind  of  work  done  daily,  and  yet  gives  each  boy  the  chance  of  learning  all  the 
tasks.    One  of  the  faculty  works  with  each  crew  of  boys. 

There  appears  to  have  been  little  that  was  academic  about  this  pioneer 
camp.  Many  of  these  simple  tasks  have  been  crowded  out  of  the  larger 
modern  camps  bv  emplovment  of  servants  to  do  much  of  the  work 
While  with  larger  groups,  health  and  safety  may  demand  an  employed 
set  of  workers  for  the  cooking  and  some  other  work,  have  not  many 
camps  lifted  so  much  of  the  responsibility  for  the  work  of  the  camp 
community  from  the  shoulders  of  the  boys  and  girls  as  to  decrease  the 
degree  of  'independence  and  self-reliance  developed  by  those  early  camp- 
ers who  most  completely  cared  for  themselves? 

Despite  the  changes" that  have  come  about  in  a  half  century,  there 
arc  many  things  in  the  description  of  the  first  camp  which  still  have  a 
familiar  ring,  such  as  the  way  of  sleeping  on  bunks  in  open-sided  cabins; 
the  rules  for  swimming,  morning  dips,  camp  uniforms;  an  outdoor 
chapel  for  Sunday  services,  scheduled  time  for  writing  letters  to  the 
home- folk,  for  field  and  water  sports,  for  visiting  by  members  of  the 

"Balch,  Elizabeth.  A  Hoy's  Paradise,  A  Summer  visitor's  Account  of  Camp  Cho- 
corua— 5"/.  Nicholas,  June.  1886,  pp.  604-607. 
^"Ibid..,  pp.  604-607. 


The  Period  of  Beginnings  11 

campers'  families  and  their  friends ;  dramatics,  camp  fires,  camj)  hank 
and  rules  about  spending  money;  and  "a  week's  tramp  over  the  hills.'' 
A  large  canvas-topped  wagon,  drawn  by  oxen,  carries  blankets  and  provisions, 
and  any  boys  who  grow  tired  and  footsore  can  have  a  lift  when  they  feel  like 
it.  They  camp  at  night  and  have  many  amusing  adventures  by  day;  and  at  differ- 
ent farmhouses  to  which  they  come  in  their  wanderings,  milk  is  willingly  fur- 
nished to  the  jolly,  brown-faced,  red-capped  lads  who  make  the  hills  ring  cheerily 
with  their  songs  and  laughter." 

Mr.  Balch  stated  that  among  objections  raised  to  camp  were  that 
with  no  professional  cook  "food  would  not  be  sufficient";  that  it  was 
not  necessary  for  the  men  and  boys  to  do  all  the  work ;  and  that  some 
wanted  the  boy  to  "make  up  some  of  the  bookwork  he  had  been  too 
lazy  or  too  ill  to  do  during  the  winter."    He  wrote : 

It  was  the  "Faultleroy  Period"  and  endless  were  the  objections  to  this  new 
idea  and  many  a  good  boy  we  lost  for  these  and  other  reasons  and  some  fine  boys 
because  neither  the  boy  nor  the  camp  had  the  necessary  funds,  but  enough  came, 
and  the  camp  grew  and  ninety  per  centl  of  the  boys  were  good  stuff  and  throve 
in  the  new  environment  so  that  there  came  at  last  to  be  parents  who  thought  the 
camp  training  a  valuable  part  of  the  boy's  education.^" 

Camp  directors  will  find  the  above  paragraph  brings  up  familiar 
experiences. 

As  might  have  been  expected  the  old  experienced  school  men  of 
Balch's  day  were  either  negative  or  indififerent.  This  young  man  tried 
hard  to  interest  them  and  was  greatly  disappointed  in  the  way  his  new 
venture  was  received ;  he  grew  discouraged  and  gave  it  up.  Later  he 
could  rationalize  the  experience  and  understand  it.  He  said  of  the 
school  men : 

They  could  not  see  it.  That  such  an  affair  could  be  called  a  "school"  was 
absurd.  Their  most  favorable  comment  was,  "a  good  place  to  send  a  boy  who 
has  nowhere  else  to  go — to  learn  to  swim."  .  .  .  Camps  as  I  saw  them  during 
the  active  period  of  Camp  Chocorua  were  the  work  of  men  not  yet  imbedded  in 
formal  school  life.  .  .  .  Men  who  conduct  schools  have  a  clear  understanding 
of  the  strength  of  tradition  and  no  desire  to  fight  it  for  the  sake  of  a  new  form 
which  you  have  reached  by  a  train  of  reasoning  that  escapes  them. 

.  .  .  The  question  of  who  thought  out  the  camp  idea  did  not  arise)  in  the  80's. 
Camps  were  as  yet  too  insignificant  a  part  of  boys'  lives  and  the  camp  public 
very  small.  Camp  Harvard  started  in  our  second  year.  .  .  In  our  third  year 
Mr.  Talbot  took  over  Camp  Harvard,  changing  the  name  to  Camp  Asquam,  and 
settling  across  the  lake  two  miles  from  us.  Our  relations  were  cordial  from  the 
first,  that  is  officially.  Naturally,  Mr.  Talbot  followed  out  his  own  interpreta- 
tion of  the  camp  idea,  but  we  did  not  believe  the  methods  of  Camp  Asquam  were 
as  good  as  our  own.  They  were  up  on  a  high  hill,  v/hich  of  itself  cut  them. 
off  from  the  intimate  life  of  the  lake  and  made  accidents  more  probable.  They 
had  a  professional  cook  which  we  believed  to  be  unseemly  and  useless  in  a  boys' 
camp,  considering  there  should  be  no  servant  caste,  a  creed  to  which  I  still  sub- 
scribe. They  did  some  of  their  own  work  and  they  had  a  fine  set  of  boys  and 
a  fine  faculty.     We  went  to  their  sports  and  they  came  to  ours." 

Prom  this  description  we  see  why  Mr.  Sargent  spoke  of  Mr.  Balch's 
ideas   of   establishing   a   camp  as  more  or   less  along   the   lines   of   a 


^Of.  cit.,  604-607. 

"Balch,  E.  B.,  The  first  Camp  Chocorua,  Summer  Camps,   1924,  pages  30-41. 

''I bid.,  pages  30-41. 


12  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

"monastic  order."  The  founder  of  camping  later  expressed  his  belief 
that  the  reason  most  camps  departed  from  the  severity  of  Camp  Cho- 
corua  was  more  for  economical  reasons  than  because  of  lack  of  char- 
acter or  understanding  on  the  part  of  directors.  He  considered  a  higher 
type  of  faculty  necessary  and  the  food  more  expensive  in  a  camp  of 
the  type  of  Chocorua.  While  he  may  have  been  a  bit  extreme  we  know 
that  in  the  competition  for  campers  today  the  economic  factor  has  its 
weight  and  some  camps  doubtless  might  leave  more  responsibility  for 
their  campers,  but  for  the  fact  that  they  are  afraid  they  might  fail  to 
please  and  so  turn  them  toward  another  camp  where  more  is  done  for 
them.  At  any  rate  this  first  nine-year  experiment  closed  with  a  deficit, 
but  with  the  belief  on  the  part  of  its  founder  that  he  had  really  con- 
ducted "an  experiment  in  the  education  of  the  12  to  16  year  old  boy." 

Except  for  the  few  points  of  difiference  mentioned  by  Mr.  Balch, 
Camp  Harvard  inust  have  been  run  on  a  very  similar  plan.  An  inter- 
esting description  of  its  program  in  1885  by  one  of  the  older  boys  ap- 
peared in  Si.  IViclwIais  in  June,  1886.  Practically  all  the  same  features 
of  camp  life  as  were  found  at  Camp  Chocorua  were  described.  The 
description  of  their  athletic  meet  first  introduces  us  to  the  awarding 
of  prizes  in  camp — a  practice  which  increased  and  has  aroused  much 
discussion  in  recent  years. 

On  August  13th  and  14th  came  the  annual  athletic  meeting.  There  were  all 
sorts  of  exercises  with  first  and  second  prizes  in  each,  and  entries  closed  on  the 
12th.  Crowds  of  visitors  came  each  day.  The  tennis  tournament  was  hotly 
contested  in  both  singles  and  doubles,  but  the  boat  races  and  tug-of-war  were  the 
most  exciting  events.  .  .  .  On  the  night  of  the  14th  we  entertained  a  large 
company  of  visitors  at  supper  and  a  lady  very  gracefully  presented  the  prizes. 
I  had  won  cither  first  or  second  prizes  in  several  events,  and  experienced  the 
proud  distinction  of  having  my  name  telegraphed  to  a  Boston  paper,  whose 
editor  was  rusticating  near  by.  Some  of  the  records  were  very  good,  considering 
that  the  boys,  with  the  single  exception  of  myself,  were  only  from  ten  to  fourteen 
years  old." 

There  are  not  so  many  things  in  this  paragraph  to  show  that  it  was 
written  nearly  half  a  century  ago,  rather  than  in  one  of  our  more  recent 
camp  papers.  But  another  of  these  early  campers  writing  reminiscently 
of  his  experience  in  1907  noted  a  great  many  changes  that  had  taken 
place  even  at  that  time  since  as  a  twelve-year-old  boy  he  had  attended 
Camp  Asquam  in  1891. 

Me  seemed  to  think  especially  of  the  adventure  and  of  the  "roughing" 
it"  experiences  of  the  early  camps  and  to  deplore  the  softening  and 
formalizing  influences  which  he  felt  were  gaining  control  of  camping. 
He  said  of  the  "good  old  days" : 

We  did  not  go  to  camp  as  we  went  to  boarding  schiml.  School  was  only  the 
next  block  on  the  calendar  of  boyhood,  a  region  mapped  and  exi)!ored,  firmly 
traditioncd  by  older  boys  and  parents  even,  with  Mode-and-Persian  rules  for 
facing  each  new  venture,  and  "Gallia  est  omnis"  blighting  all.  School  gave  no 
key  to  the  fiords  of  a  new  planet ;  camp  did.     Camp  lay  at  the  back  of  beyond 


"A  Boys'  Camp,  by  Oik.-  of  the  Campers,  St.  A'icholii.i,  June.   1886,  pp.  607-612. 


The  Period  of  Bei^i/i/zi/igs  13 

and  the  boy  going  there  was  viewed  with  the  timid  envy  of  whomever  saw  John 
Cabot's  sailors  start  for  Labrador  three  hundred  years  ago." 

He  said  that  in  those  days  camp  was  not  described  as  "the  revolt 
from  the  growing  tension  of  city  life."  nor  as  an  "opportunity  for 
nature  study."  He  described  how  the  boys  lived :  "sleeping  in  plaster- 
less  shanties  on  woven  wire  cots  without  sheets  or  mattresses.  One 
'soak'  a  day  till  we  swam  a  mile  and  could  sail  alone ;  very  plain  food 
and  no  studies."  He  reported  that  the  boys  did  all  the  work  except 
cook  and  told  how  they  were  organized  into  groups  for  these  duties 
each  morning. 

Then  at  ten  o'clock  most  of  this  manual  seriousness  was  over  and  we  soaked 
in  the  lake  which  was  the  climax  of  the  day.  .  .  .  That  was  unless  you  had  for- 
feited your  soak,  perhaps  for  days  on  end,  for  sweeping  dirt  under  the  beds 
while  police,  or  throwing  food  at  the  table.  This  was  the  only  form  of  discipline, 
except  "meditating,"  which  meant  sitting  on  the  dining  shanty  steps,  if  you  were 
late  to  meals  and  being  guyed  by  everyone.  .  .  Authorized  seconds  "soaks" 
were  as  rare  as  peaches  in  February  for  some  hygienic  reason  which  we  never 
understood,  until  one  year  the  whole  camp  was  afflicted  with  deafness  from 
swimming  on  the  sly  too  much.  The  all-out  bugle  was  loiteringly  obeyed  till 
several  next  days'  soaks  were  lost ;  then  scattered  in  the  hot  sand  on  our  stomachs 
wd  talked  of  all  a  kid's  cabbages  and  kings,  acquiring  that  healthy  sunned  w^eari- 
ness,  and  such  burns  that  for  weeks  a  hand  pressed  on  any  shoulder  was  greeted 
with  a  howl.     Sometimes  we  had  scabs  four  inches  long  across  our  backs." 

He  stated  that  the  athletic  records  were  kept  and  individual  winners' 
names  were  painted  on  varnished  boards  under  proper  year  date  and 
put  up  in  the  dining  lodge.  He  mentions  slipping  out  and  taking  the 
water,  hikes,  trips,  and  mountain  climbs  as  the  real  experiences  of  camp. 
His  ideas,  of  how  camp  life  developed  a  boy.  continued  long  after  his 
day,  such  as  the  sketch  below  indicates :  "Have  you  ever  noticed  the 
half-naked  lope  of  a  ten-year-old  along  a  burning  sandy  road?  That 
set  smile,  the  rough  determination  of  the  man  on  his  face,  manhood 
will  never  make  intenser.  For  then  the  bolt  of  self-reliance  springs 
with  initial  violence  .  .  .  and  you  first  do  hit  the  world."""''  Some  of 
the  things  so  gloried  in  as  hardships  endured  by  the  old  campers  as'  in 
after  years  they  describe  their  experiences  are  recognized  as  some  of 
the  practices  so  much  condemned  by  modern  health  and  safety  author- 
ities. 

But  the  old  camper  did  not  like  the  changes.  He  closed  his  article 
with  some  paragraphs  which  while  humorous  indicate  his  attitude. 

Boys'  camps  have  changed  they  tell  me.  .  .  .  Now,  two  cycle  engines  flu.sh 
the  camp  wash  room  from  the  lake,  and  that  handpump.  and  that  well,  blasted 
out  with  gunpowder  so  it  tasted  like  a  potash  gargle — when  it  wasn't  sheltering 
a  skunk — alas !  is  no  more.  Camps  seem  to  be  run  by  more  elderly  men  .  .  . 
and  counselors  are  athletes  from  colleges  no  more,  but  grinds.  "Educators." 
whatever  they  may  be— in  our  day  a  kind  of  cracker — are  getting  busy  with  boys' 
camps,  and  Y.  M.  C.  A.'s  too !     Mercy  on  us  ?" 


''Dunn,  Robert;  The  Real  Boys'  Camp:  Outing,  Vol.  50,  July,   1907,  p,  415. 

^*/5id.,  p.  416. 

^'Op  ck. 

'^Op.  ck.,  p.  416. 


14  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

In  the  descriptions  of  I)oth  Camp  Chocorua  and  Camp  Asquam 
are  strikingly  beautiful  pictures  of  the  outdoor  chapels  and  the  services 
held  in  them.  The  leaders  in  these  early  camps  seem  to  have  been 
of  the  Episcopal  Church  and  the  ofif shoots  of  these  camps  in  the  vicinity 
of  Asquam  Lake  carried  on  their  achievements  in  beauty  in  outdoor 
worship  services.  The  writer  recently  received  a  letter  from  Mr. 
Edwin  DeMeriette.  who  founded  Camp  Algonquin,  another  of  these 
pioneer  camps  in  1886,  and  conducted  it  successfully  for  over  forty 
years.  He  says  of  Camp  Chocorua  that  "it  was  for  Episcopalian  boys 
and  the  island  is  now  consecrated  ground  and  Episcopalian  services 
are  held  there  on  pleasant  Sundays  from  June  to  September."  This 
seems  to)  be  a  fitting  way  for  the  preservation  of  the  place  where  the 
first  boys'  camp  was  founded. 

Mr.  DeMeriette  seems  not  to  have  known  about  Camp  Harvard,  for 
he  writes  of  Camp  Algonquin : 

In  1886  I  established  the  second  boys'  camp,  with  the  one  idea  of  teaching 
the  boys  to  care  for  themselves  in  the  open,  enjoy  nature,  love  the  trees,  shrubs, 
flowers,  birds  and  animals  and  to  make  a  study  of  the  same.  For  over  twenty 
years  I  did  this  work  myself  and  taught  the  boys  that  every  trip  was  the  more 
enjoyable  if  they  used  their  eyes  and  noted  what  they  saw  in  animal  and  vegetable 
life.  .  .  .  The  boys  learned  to  respect  the  rights  of  others,  to  become  self- 
reliant,  and  that  character,  honesty,  will  power,  the  ability  to  see  something  to 
do  and  do  it,  and  that  a  thing  worth  doing  was  worth  doing  well,  were  the  things 
necessary  to  the  highest  type  of  manhood.  They  also  learned  to  compel  recogni- 
tion by  the  value  of  their  work." 

Fine  ideals  were  characteristics  of  these  pioneer  camp  directors,  but 
this  fine  and  intelligent  emphasis  on  teaching  a  knowledge  and  appre- 
ciation of  nature  was  the  distinctive  characteristic  of  Camp  Algonquin. 
After  Mr.  DeMeriette  was  no  longer  able  to  lead  the  nature  lore  work 
he  secured  excellent  naturalists  each  year.  He  developed  an  unusual 
nature  library,  provided  microscopes,  materials  for  collections,  herba- 
riums, and  whatever  the  nature  lover  might  wish.  He  said,  "the  camp 
should  be  educational,  not  only  in  the  development  of  character,  but  also 
in  a  close  study  of  all  that  God  created  for  our  enjoyment;  I  used  to 
require  an  hour  per  day  to  be  given  to  Nature  Study."  Although  he 
closed  his  camp  in  1927.  in  1932  at  the  age  of  87  he  wrote :  "I'm  back 
in  the  old  camp  reveling  in  the  beauties  of  Nature." 

Whether  we  agree  with  Mr.  Dunn  in  any  of  his  criticisms  of  the 
changes  in  camps,  we  have  to  admit  that  in  some  ways  these  pioneer 
camp  directors  set  high  standards  for  later  directors  to  consider.  With 
modern  advantages,  educational  methods  and  philosojjhies  camping 
should  be  better  adapted  to  our  changing  civilization,  but  much  camp- 
ing is  still  inferior  to  the  efforts  of  these  pioneer  camp  directors. 

Beginning  of  Organization  Camps 

Perhaps  Mr.  Dunn  would  not  have  been  so  surprised  to  find  Y.  M. 
C.  A.'s  conducting  boys'  camj)s  in  1907  had  he  known  that  at  the  time 

"Document  No.   1. 


The  Period  of  Beginnings  15 

he  as  a  boy  was  spendinjjj  his  summer  at  Camj)  Asquam  the  jMoneer 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  Camp  was  already  in  its  sixth  year.  In  fact,  Camp  Dudley 
on  Lake  Champlain  is  the  oldest  camp  with  a  continuous  existence, 
antedating  by  one  year.  Camp  Algonquin.  Mr.  Sumner  F.  Dudley, 
a  manufacturer  ancl  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  Committee  of 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  had  been  taking  boys  on  camping  trips  for  three  years, 
when  in  1885  he  took  seven  boys  of  the  Newburg  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  and  established  a  camp  at  Orange  Lake.  The  follow- 
ing year  a  better  site  was  found  at  Lake  Wawayanda  for  a  camp  of 
23  boys ;  by  1891  the  number  of  boys  had  increased  to  83  and  the  camp 
was  removed  to  a  site  on  Lake  Champlain  that  could  accommodate  the 
larger  number.  During  his  last  illness  in  1897  Mr.  Dudley  arranged 
for  the  continuance  of  the  camp  by  deeding  the  equipment  to  the  New 
York  State  Committee  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  by  selecting  Mr.  George 
G.  Peck,  an  intimate  associate,  a  member  of  his  committee  and  one  of 
the  charter  campers,  to  direct  it.  After  Mr.  Dudley's  death,  the  camp 
was  named  Camp  Dudley  in  honor  of  its  founder. 

The  following  quotation  is  taken  from  the  first  published  account 
of  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Boys'  Camp : 

I  have  just  returned  from  an  eight  days  in  camp,  conscious  of  having  had 
one  of  the  most  delightful  and  profitable  times  of  my  life.  With  me  have  been 
seven  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Boys'  Branch  of  Newburgh.  .  .  .  We 
have  spent  from  one  to  two  hours  each  day  in  Bible  Study.  Sunday  was  a  sweet 
experience.  Although  in  the  woods  the  bars  were  not  down,  but  we  were  all 
in  the  Spirit.     More  time  than  usual  was  spent  in  Bible  Study. 

In  the  evening  a  little  prayer  and  praise  service  was  held  in  a  boat  i!i  the 
middle  of  the  lake.  The  boys  had  a  burden  on  their  minds  which  found  ex- 
pression in  repeated  earnest  prayers  for  an  unconverted  companion  providentially 
with  them.  I  write  of  this  to  you  because  I  think  it  may  be  made  a  valuable 
feature  of  summer  work  with  boys.  Two  results  may  be  thereby  obtained  or 
at  least  promoted  :  A  very  intimate  acquaintance  on.  the  part  of  the  leader  with 
the  dispositions  of  the  boys  with  whom  he  is  to  work.  The  boys  themselves  will 
be  taught  that  pleasure  seeking  does  not  necessitate  any  relaxation  of  Christian 
Study  and  work,  and  that  a  full  enjoyment  of  a  vacation  Sabbath  does  not  imply 
any  license,  or  forgetfulness  of  God's  claim."* 

How  quickly  and  widely  the  camping  out  idea  spread  through  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Associations  is  revealed  by  a  search  for  ac- 
counts of  them  in  The  Watchman,  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  publication  of  that 
time.    Here  is  one  from  the  South  as  early  as  1887: 

A  number  of  the  Junior  members  of  the  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  Association, 
chaperoned  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Stewart,  spent  July  11-22  camping  in  the  mountains 
of  Eastern  Tennessee  and  Western  North  Carolina. 

On  the  morning  of  the  11th,  bright  and  early,  a  hack  with  four  horses  was 
drawn  up  in  front  of  the  door.  Tents,  cooking  utensils,  food.  etc..  were  quickly 
packed  in,  and  then  came  the  passengers,  twelve  in  number.  In  a  few  minutes, 
everything  was  ready,  goodbyes  were  said,  and  amid  shouting  and  laughter  and 
blowing  of  trumpets  they  started  on  down  Gay  Street.  Traveling  all  day,  at 
night  they  had  reached  a  point  in  Tuckabluchee  Cove,  thirty-five  miles  from  the 
city.     Here  they  camped  for  two  days  before  renewing  the  journey. 


^'Dudley,   Sumner   F.,   "Boys'   Branch  Newburgh,   N.   Y.,   in  Camp,"  The   Watch- 
man: Y.  M.  C.  A.  Semi-Monthly,  August  1,  1885,  Vol.  XI,  p.  177. 


16  Organized  Cam-ping  a  fid  Progressive  Education 

Thursday  night  found  them  encamped  on  Laurel  Creek  in  the  very  heart  of 
the  Smokies,  and  only  seven  miles  from  Thunderhead,  the  highest  peak.  Here 
they  remained  the  balance  of  the  time  making  various  expeditions  into  the  sur- 
rounding country,  and  spending  the  time  by  hunting,  fishing,  and  sight-seeing.'^ 

While  this  was  more  in  the  nature  of  a  camping  trip  than  an  organ- 
ized camp,  there  were  some  of  the  same  elements  in  the  experience. 

Mr.  Dudley  probably  did  not  know  of  the  existence  of  the  camps 
on  Asquam  Lake.  Many  people  long  considered  Camp  Dudley  the 
first  boys'  camp.  As  Camp  Chocorua  set  the  pattern  for  the  group 
of  private  camps  in  New  Hampshire,  so  did  Camp  Dudley  become  the 
model  for  many  camps  organized  liy  the  workers  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association.  At  first  Camp  Dudley  served  all  the  Associa- 
tions in  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  but  very  soon  it  was  filled  to  ca- 
pacity and  other  camps  had  to  be  established.  City  Associations  began 
to  establish  their  own  camps.  Other  State  committees  started  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  camps.  Thus  the  movement  grew.  An  official  report  of  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  camps  published  in  "Association  Boys"  in  1901  listed  167  Camps 
and  4,v327  campers.^" 

Writing  of  Camp  Dudley  in  its  21st  year,  R.  P.  Kaighn  described  its 
plan  of  management: 

An  advance  party  of  half  a  dozen  older  campers  erect  the  tents  and  put  things 
in  order  during  the  week  previous  to  the  opening  of  the  camp  season.  It  is 
considered  an  especial  privilege  to  go  with  the  advance  party  and  some  applica- 
tions are  made  a  year  in  advance  for  a  place  in  the  selected  band.  The  specific 
management  of  the  camp  centers  in  the  leader  in  charge.  A  group  of  men,  some 
Association  Secretaries,  members  of  the  camp  board,  or  experienced  older  camp- 
ers, are  associated  with  him.  These  men  are  known  as  leaders,  assistant  loaders 
and  aides,  each  having  a  certain  relative  rank.  When  on  an  excursion  or  at  a 
ball  game  or  whenever  the  leader  is  absent  from  the  camp  or  group,  the  next 
highest  ranking  leader  present  is  in  charge.  This  system  is  carried  out  among' 
all  campers  whether  in  camp  or  not.  Each  tent  group  is  under  the  care  of  a 
leader  or  assistant  leader.  The  aides  are  campers  too  young  to  be  given  the  full 
duties  of  leadership,  but  sufficiently  old,  experienced  and  trustworthy,  to  assume 
some  responsibility.  One  is  assigned  to  each  tent  and  acts  as  assistant  to  the 
tent  leader.'" 

In  the  June  issue  of  "Association  Boys"  of  1902,  E,  M.  Robinson, 
Boys'  Work  Secretary  for  the  International  Committee  of  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.,  wrote,  "no  single  feature  of  Association  boys'  work  has  produced 
more  satisfactory  results  in  proportion  to  the  expenditure  of  time, 
money,  and  energy  than  the  summer  camp."-'-  He  quoted  several  Asso- 
ciation leaders  as  to  their  purposes  in  running  a  camp :  "The  object 
of  the  camp  is  healthful  recreation  without  temptation,"  said  one;  "not 
only  to  gratify  the  natiu'al  desire  for  a  free  and  easy  life  out  of  doors, 
but  its  fundamental  principle  is  to  cultivate  manly  Christian  character 
among  boys,"  said  another;  "four  weeks  of  outdoor  life  full  to  the 
brim  with  fiui,  sport  and  l)cncfit  to  health,  imdcr  the  leadership  of  a 

"Davis,  Mack.  CamphiK  Out,  The  Watchman:  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Semi-Monthly,  Vol. 
XIII,  Sept.    1,   1887.  p.  255. 

'"Association  Hoys,  Vol.  I.   1901,  Camp  Report. 
"Kaighn.   R.  P..  Association  Boys.  Vol.  4.    1904,  p.    109. 
"Robinson.   E.    M..   Association   Rnvs,   Vol.   2,    1902. 


The  Period  of  Bei^'ninings  17 

corps  of  earnest  Christian  men."  stated  a  third.  "A  leader,"  one  Sec- 
retary wrote,  "should  first  of  all  he  a  strong,'  manly  Christian.  If  he 
is  an  athlete  ...  so  much  the  hetter  .  .'  .  hut  a  man  who  has  the 
interests  of  each  individual  hoy  at  heart." 

On  the  topic  of  discipline :  "All  cam])  leaders  agree  that  the  fewer 
and  simpler  the  rules  the  hetter;  .  .  .  not  treat  them  like  children; 
place  them  on  their  honor;  ...  if  any  rule  comes  it  will  he  hrought 
upon  them  hy  the  recklessness  and  unruliness  of  a  few  boys;  .  .  .  the 
camp  can  easily  be  madel  self -regulating  when  the  leader  takes  the  at- 
titude of  comradeship."^* 

The  idea  of  "roughing  it"  was  held  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  camps  to 
an  equal  if  not  greater  extent  than  it  was  by  the  other  pioneer  camps, 
one  leader  stating  that  "when  the  spirit  of  'roughing  it'  has  been  ex- 
tracted from  the  camp,  the  juice  of  the  thing  is  pretty  well  gone." 
Another  said,  "It  is  a  pity  we  do  not  have  more  of  the  spirit  of  the 
old  Highland  Chief,  who  finding  his  son  sleeping  in  the  snow  with  a 
block  of  ice  for  a  pillow,  kicked  the  block  away  in  a  rage,  exclaiming : 
*I  will  have  no  son  of  mine  brought  up  on  such  luxuries.'  "  Still  an- 
other thought  that,  "boys  like  leadership  but  hate  to  be  nagged  or 
driven." 

The  Association  Camps  were  thought  of  by  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Leaders 
primarily  as  opportunities  to  further  the  strong  evangelical  purpose 
of  the  organization ;  camp  was  the  very  best  place  for  a  boy  to  be  led 
to  Christian  decision  and  to  public  confession  of  it.  Tent  and  private 
devotions  were  encouraged ;  Bible  Study  was  a  part  of  each  day's  pro- 
gram and  camp  activities  were  planned  with  the  idea  of  showing  the 
boys  that  men  and  boys  who  were  pledged  to  the  Christian  way  of 
life  could  have  plenty  of  fun.  Religion  was  to  be  spread  by  the  con- 
tagion of  personal  influence  and  through  the  intimate  relationship  of 
camp  life.  Distinction  was  made  between  Christian  boys  and  those 
who  had  not  "decided,"  and  boys  were  encouraged  to  influence  their 
friends  to  make  decisions. 

One  leader  said :  "It  is  frequently  the  case  that  the  last  four  or  five 
days  in  camp  witness  the  decisions  of  nearly  every  camper  to  begin 
an  earnest  Christian  life.  An  opportunity  is  generally  given  at  the 
evening  service  for  the  boys  to  express  this  determination."  Another 
leader  from  Cleveland,  Ohio,  wrote :  "Our  plan  while  in  camp  and  on 
our  trips  is  to  make  the  Christian  life  the  natural  thing  and  to  rob  it 
of  all  superfluities."    He  described  their  camp  day : 

There  were  few  rules.  The  day  opened  with  flag-raising.  Just  before  break- 
fast we  gathered  around  the  flag-pole,  and  as  the  flag  was  raised,  sang  some 
patriotic  or  sacred  song,  then  someone  ofTered  the  morning  prayer.  The  days 
were  spent  in  rowing,  fishing,  swimming,  rambling  over  the  country  for  miles 
around,  and  playing  "baseball  with  teams  of  nearby  villages.  In  the  evening  we 
had  indoor  games  in  a  large  barn  which  served  as  a  gymnasium.  Occasionally  we 
had  an  entertainment  furnished  by  some  party  of  boys.  .  .  .  The  day  closed  \vith 
a  very  simple  evening  devotional  exercise.'^ 


"Association  Boys,  Vol.  3,  1903.  p.  106. 


18  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

A  leader  of  Camp  Tuxis  described  the  discussion  groups  or  "Round 
Tables"  they  held  just  after  breakfast,  but  he  emphasized  most  the 
camp  fires  in  the  evening.  He  gave  three  classes  of  them  :  The  hilarious, 
which  was  all  fun  and  humor,  stunts  and  games ;  the  combination  which 
started  with  fun  and  stunts,  but  shifted  to  singing  and  closed  devotion- 
ally  ;  and  the  serious  which  was  purely  devotional.  Here  is  his  descrip- 
tion of  one  of  this  latter  type: 

The  boys  liave  been  away  from  home  for  some  time.  They  are  unusually 
thoughtful  and  tender.  The  stars  twinkling  overhead,  the  sighing  of  the  breeze 
in  the  treetops,  the  breaking  of  the  waves  on  the  rocks,  all  tend  towards  turning 
the  mind  of  the  boy  toward  the  God  of  nature.  Somehow  heaven  seems  nearer 
and  the  boy  instinctively  wants  to  be  better.  The  words  of  the  gospel  songs 
acquire  a  new  and  more  personal  significance.  The  speaker  finds  it  easy  to  strike 
the  chord  that  vibrates  in  the  listener's  soul.  A  few  of  the  older  and  more  manly 
boys  give  their  personal  testimony  and  now  and  then  a  tear  falls  unheeded  down 
some  cheek.  It  is  the  critical  hour  that  settles  a  boy's  destiny  and  many  a  spot 
on  old  Camp  Tuxis  has  witnessed  the  surrender  of  a  boy's  life.  Catholics;  Jews, 
and  Protestants  alike  have  been  wonderfully  moved  by  the  power  of  God  as  mani- 
fested at  these  camp  fires."^" 

Just  a  little  bit  later  and  perhaps  with  more  experience  and  obser- 
vation, a  leader  of  Camp  Dudley  gave  a  warning  concerning  these  emo- 
tional settings  for  boys'  decisions  : 

It  is  very  easy  to  overstimulate  a  boy's  feelings  at  camp,  and  this  too  often 
is  followed  by  a  reaction  after  he  gets  home.  While  opportunities  are  given 
boys  to  express  tlieir  religious  convictions,  and  61  last  year  stated  for  the  first 
time  their  purpose  to  lead  Christian  lives,  yet  it  is  felt  that  the  best  and  most 
enduring  effect  is  provided  rather  by  the  indirect  than  the  direct  appeal.^" 

The  early  organization  camps  appear  to  have  differed  from  the 
pioneer  private  camps  less  in  the  types  of  activity  engaged  in  by  the 
boys  and  men,  than  in  the  purposes  and  the  phases  of  life  that  were 
given  the  major  emphases.  While  Mr.  Balch  tried  hard  to  teach  self- 
reliance,  the  dignity  of  labor  and  the  value  of  money  through  a  rigid 
regime  of  doing  for  themselves  in  priinitive  fashion,  the  Camp  Dudley 
followers  sought,  as  one  of  them  expressed  it,  "not  only  to  have  a 
happy,  jolly  time,  but  also  to  teach  practically  that  to  have  such  a  time 
it  was  not  necessary  to  break  out  of  wholesome  restraints,  nor  to  forget 
the  Sabbath  and  religious  habits,  but  to  continue,  imder  circumstances 
that  would  make  it  always  remembered,  the  study  of  God's  Word,  which 
has  come  to  be  a  characteristic  of  Association  work."  For  the  next 
two  decades  these  ideals  continued  to  be  the  guiding  principles  of  camp 
workers.  Both  groups  of  camp  Directors  contemplated  in  some  fashion 
a  method  for  controlling  hoys,  and  for  fitting  them  into  existing  social 
life  with  the  least  friction  and  with  the  greatest  conformity  to  the  ap- 
proved ways  of  living.  Change  in  the  social  order  was  neither  expected 
nor  considered  desirable. 

Some  were  led  to  start  sinnmer  camjjs  by  hearing  or  reading  of  the 
early  camps.  Doubtless  other  cainps  grew  out  of  the  situation  where 
the  puri:>ose  originated  in  the  desire  for  outdoor  life.     Some  camps  de- 

"Association  Hoys,  Vol.  3.   1903,  p.   108. 
"Association  Boys,  Vol.  4,  1904,  p.   109. 


The  Period  of  Beginnings  19 

veloped  out  of  situations  which  were  originally  set  up  for  other  pur- 
poses. Dr.  C.  Hanford  Henderson  descrihecl  such  a  case.  "When 
my  own  boys'  camp  was  established  in  1896  in  the  valley  of  the  upper 
Delaware,  I  did  not  know  of  any  similar  experiment  elsewhere  and 
fancied  myself  a  veritable  pioneer.  .  .  .  My  own  camp  was  from  the 
start  a  study  camp — we  worked  in  the  morning,  we  played  in  the  after- 
noon, we  essayed  sociability  in  the  evening."  He  had  a  group  of  Col- 
lege men  as  "teachers  and  leaders  for  the  boys." 

Quite  unexpectedly  we  stood  face  to  face  with  an  immense  opportunity — tlie 
chance  to  weave  the  days  into  a  larger  pattern,  and  to  draw  the  outline  of  a 
new  and  more  self-reliant  type  of  boy.  As  a  result  of  this  realization  the  daily 
program  transformed  itself.  The  emphasis  slipped  away  from  the  more  formal 
studies  of  the  curriculum  over  to  the  directed  occupations — to  music,  drawing, 
manual  training,  nature  expeditions,  gymnastics. 

...  It  was  not  simply  what  a  boy  knew— it  was  what  he  was  and  what 
he  would  do.  And  the  moral  test  became  equally  practical  and  intimate — was  a 
boy  a  good  comrade ;  did  he  do  his  share  willingly  and  thoroughly ;  could  he 
be  depended  upon  day  by  day  as  well  as  in  an  emergency ;  was  he  a  gracious  and 
welcome  member  of  the  group?'' 

Activities  of  camps  in  this  period  of  beginnings — 1880  to  1900 — 
were  rather  free  and  grew  out  of  natural  situations  more  or  less  spon- 
taneously. Given  a  group  of  men  and  boys  with  certain  experiences, 
ideas  and  ideals,  some  beautiful  site  with  woods,  lake  and  mountains, 
and  the  necessity  of  living  life  to  the  full  and  of  taking  care  of  them- 
selves, no  set  up  procedures  or  curricula  were  necessary.  It  was  a 
way  to  spend  vacation  time  far  more  pleasantly  and  interestingly  than 
in  the  city  or  at  a  summer  hotel.  The  adventure  of  it  was  sufficient 
attraction ;  it  grew  and  became  more  and  more  desired  as  participants 
related  experiences  to  their  friends. 

A  summary  of  the  camp  situation  in  1900  was  written  by  Louis 
Rouillon : 

How  to  provide  boys  from  nine  to  nineteen  with  the  conditions  that  make  an 
ideal  summer  outing  is  a  problem  deserving  as  careful  study  as  any  other  problem 
of  modern  education.  .  .  .  The  requirements  are  that  he  should  have  the  con- 
stant comradeship  of  other  boys,  the  sympathetic  companionship  of  strong  men, 
the  freest  opportunity  to  wander  over  field  and  mountain — to  swim,  to  fish,  to 
row ;  to  exercise  every  true  impulse  of  his  nature  freely  and  without  restraint.^* 

He  classified  camps  into  three  types.  First,  there  were  the  "Natural 
Science"  camps  which  were  under  the  direction  of  educators  and 
specialist  teachers,  but  the  classes  in  the  various  sciences  are  not  con- 
ducted on  the  textbook  and  recitation  plan,  "as  are  those  of  an  ordinary 
school,  but  are  perhaps  best  described  as  walks  and  talks  with  the  in- 
structors." These  camps  were  run  through  July  and  August  at  cost 
of  about  nine  dollars  per  week  per  boy. 

The  second  group  of  camps  were  those  conducted  by  state  and  local 
committees  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association.     These  camps 


^'Henderson,  C.  Hanford,  The  Boy's  Summer,  A  Handbook  of  Summer  Camps. 
1924.  pp.   44-47. 

'"Rouillon.  Louis;  Summer  Camps  for  Boys,  Review  of  Reviews,  Vol.  21,  June, 
1900. 


20  Organized  Cam-ping  and  Progressive  Education 

are  described  as  having  a  distinctly  religious  tone.  Bible  Study,  camp 
duties,  outdoor  sports,  occupied  the  mornings ;  "a  general  good  time"' 
filled  the  afternoons;  swimming  and  canoeing  played  a  big  part;  then 
at  night  a  campfire  with  songs,  hymns,  and  a  talk  on  a  religious  topic 
closed  the  day.  Counselors  were  usually  college  men,  and  generally 
specialists  in  some  kind  of  activity.  These  camps  ran  from  one  to 
four  weeks  and  at  an  expense  of  about  fifty  cents  a  day  to  each  boy. 
Many  such  camps  were  found  in  New  York  and  New  England,  but  they 
were  also  scattered  throughout  the  South  and  West. 

The  third  group  of  camps  he  described  as  the  private  camps  for  the 
sons  of  well-to-do  families.  In  these  the  expenses  for  eight  or  nine 
weeks  averaged  about  $150.00  per  camper.  Trips  of  from  one  to  ten 
days  were  taken  and  more  equipment  was  available. 

From  the  brief  sketches  that  have  been  given  it  must  be  seen  that 
the  summer  camp  has  not  sprung  from  any  one  source.  Here  a  man 
with  an  idea  of  physical  culture,  there  another  with  a  pastoral  affection, 
then  one  with  thrift  and  self-reliance,  another  with  a  great  love  of 
nature,  others  with  strong  desires  for  evangelism,  another  who  un- 
knowingly longed  to  break  the  bonds  of  formalized  schooling — all  with 
a  powerful  sympathy  and  understanding  of  the  needs  of  boyhood ;  from 
these  varied  ideas,  impulses  and  eflforts  there  came  into  being  the  move- 
ment for  organized  camping. 


CHAPTER  11 

THE  PERIOD  OF  EXPANSION 

Although  the  last  two  decades  of  the  nineteenth  century  saw  the 
beginnings  and  foundation  work  of  the  summer  camp  movement,  the 
first  quarter  of  the  twentieth  century  saw  its  truly  remarkable  ex])an- 
sion  and  growth.  By  1900  the  summer  camp  for  boys  had  proven 
so  successful  and  so  interesting  that  people  were  beginning  to  question 
if  some  such  experience  might  not  also  be  suitable  for  the  sisters  of 
these  boys.  As  early  as  1892  Camp  Arey,  Pioneer  Private  Camp  of 
New  York  State,  ran  a  four  weeks'  period  for  girls  in  addition  to  its 
regular  season  for  boys.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Luther  Gulick  had  pioneered 
in  a  small  way  as  early  as  1888  with  their  own  family  camp,  inviting 
other  girls  to  join  them.  In  1902  Miss  Laura  Mattoon  established 
Camp  Kehonka  for  girls  at  Wolfboro,  New  Hampshire,  and  the  girls' 
camp  movement  was  launched.  While  Miss  Mattoon's  camp  is  the 
oldest  existing  camp  for  girls,  other  pioneer  camps  were :  Camp  Pine- 
land,  1902;  Camp  Barnard,  1903;  Camp  Ouansit.  1905;  Camp  Aloha, 
1905;  Ma-Mo-Da- Yo,  1907;  and  Camp  1)neka,  1907.  Still  others 
followed  during  the  next  decade,  although  little  was  pul)lished  about 
girls'  camps  for  several  years. 

Concerning  boys'  camps.  Dr.  Talbot  wrote  as  early  as  1905 : 

The  ever  growing  revolt  against  the  tyranny  of  modern  city  Hfe  has  found 
expression  for  boys  in  summer  camping.  Where  twenty  years  ago  there  were 
three  camps  for  boys  and  ten  years  ago  there  were  three  score,  there  are  now 
several  hundred.  Even  in  1901  the  Boys  Department  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  reported 
167  camps  with  4,327  campers.  Last  year  there  were  more  than  three  hundred 
camps  and  more  than  eight  thousand  campers.  Besides  these  there  are  mission 
camps,  city  settlement  camps,  charity  camps,  school  camps  and  organized  private 
camps,  at  least  two  hundred  of  them.  .  .  .  Their  increase  is  so  constant  and  norma! 
and  democratic  that  it  has  become  a  general  movement  in  education,  and  not  a 
"fad."' 

Dr.  Talbot  described  the  camps  as  having  a  daily  schedule  of  activ- 
ities, offering  opportunities  for  water  sports,  athletics,  fishing,  dramatics, 
camp  chores,  nature  lore,  long  tramps  for  "rotighing  it."  and  such 
handicraft  as  making  boat  paddles.  Simday  was  a  day  of  "Talks  and 
teaching  to  constitute  a  clearing  house  of  mental  and  moral  doubts  and 
hesitations."  Health  was  emphasized  and  the  social  training  from 
living  intimately  with  the  adult  directors  and  leaders  was  highly  valued. 
Camps  were  considered  democratic  in  that  rich  and  poor  look  very 
much  alike  dressed  "with  trunks."  Discipline  was  not  considered  a 
problem  because  "Boys  behave  better  when  they  have  beautiful  views 
to  look  at."  Dr.  Talbot  also  said  that  while  "boys  of  18  to  20  may  be 
good  leaders  in  sports"  they  were  not  good  counselors.     "Counselors 


'Talbot,  W.  T.;   Summer  Camps  for  Boys;  Worlds  Work,  Vol.    10,  May,   1905. 

21 


22  Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

should  all  be  grown  men,  preferably  college  graduates,"  he  said.  From 
this  we  see  that  some  Camp  Directors  were  even  then  setting  up  stand- 
ards regarding  counselors  and  purposes  of  camp  activity  along  lines 
which  the  movement  has  since  progressed. 

Camping  Recognized  as  Educational 

Two  movements,  which  have  served  to  make  the  schools  more  truly 
educational  in  the  sense  of  training  the  whole  child,  liad  their  begin- 
ning just  as  the  summer  camp  movement  started  rapid  growth.  They 
were  physical  education  and  manual  training  classes.  Whether  organ- 
ized camping  led  to  the  beginning  of  these  activities  or  whether  both 
grew  out  of  a  common  background  of  influence  would  be  hard  to  deter- 
mine; probably  they  exerted  a  mutual  influence  upon  each  other.  At 
any  rate  Luther  Gulick,  who  introduced  the  system  of  physical  educa- 
tion into  Public  schools  of  Nev/  York  about  1902  was  a  pioneer  of  the 
camping  movement.  Calvin  Lewis  of  the  Brooklyn  Manual  Training 
High  School  wrote  in  1905  that  "Educators  seem  recently  to  have 
learned  that  the  body  as  well  as  the  brain  must  be  trained  and  that  not 
all  knowledge  emanates  from  books."-  He  described  Dr.  Gulick's  three 
years  of  Physical  Education  work,  mentioning  gymnasiums,  athletic 
fields,  forms  of  exercise,  tracks,  and  physical  culture — "even  in  ele- 
mentary schools."  All  this,  however,  he  considered  but  "a  substitute 
for  natural  conditions." 

He  wrote : 

Summer  camps  for  boys  constitute  a  new  but  rapidly  growing  feature  of 
American  Education.  A  generation  ago  they  were  rare.  Few  if  any  date  back 
twenty  years  and  not  many  are  ten  years  old.  During  the  past  decade  camps  have 
sprung  up  all  over  the  country,  and  aside  from  being  a  mere  convenience  they  are 
coming  to  be  regarded  as  a  valuable  part  of  a  city  boy's  education. 

This  recent  rapid  growth  seems  to  be  the  result  of  two  things  in  the  modern 
city  educational  scheme :  One  the  strong  set  toward  l)etter  physical  development ; 
the  other  the  awakened  interest  in  Nature  Study.  It  is  here  that  the  summer 
camp  steps  in  and  offers  the  opportunity  that  every  boy  longs  for — to  be  in  the 
ope:i  air,  to  tramp  and  swim  and  angle  and  sleep  out  of  doors ;  no  artificial  re- 
strictions of  dress  or  society  to  hamper  him.  No  needlessly  severe  or  demoral- 
izing lax  discipline  menaces  his  respect  for  authority.  No  late  hours  or 
unsubstantial  diet  retards  his  growth.  Here  is  a  boy's  paradise  where  he  can 
get  every  good  thing  out  of  life  and  where  he  is  removed  from  most  of  its  evils. 
He  is  given  the  means  of  enjoying  every  wholesome  sport;  he  grows  big  and 
brown  and  strong;  he  is  with  a  lot  of  carefully  chosen  associates,  who  like  to  do 
and  do  and  do,  what  he  wants  to  do ;  he  eats  regularly  plenty  of  wholesome  food 
and  gets  a  full  quota  of  open  air  sleep;  he  learns  a  hundred  secrets  of  nature  that 
books  could  never  reveal ;  his  mind  kept  constantly  alert  by  his  new  surroundings 
and  experiences  grows  stronger  and  more  active ;  he  is  under  the  influence  of 
supervisors  and  friends  who  do  what  is  right  and  abjure  what  is  wrong  and  he 
learns  to  love  the  one  and  despise  the  other.^ 

Does  not  the  above  quotation  present  quite  an  idealistic  picture  of 
the  summer  camp?    We  catch  not  a  glimpse  of  the  critical  study  of  the 


"Lewis,  Calvin.  Camps;  Outlook.  Vol.  80,  June,  1905,  p.  378. 
"/bid. 


The  Period  of  Expansion  23 

results  of  camp  life  that  is  making  camp  leaders  today  more  modest  and 
more  careful  in  their  claims.  But  Mr.  Lewis  was  writing  in  a  popular 
magazine  article  so  he  made  it  a  sales  talk  for  camping.  Further  on 
he  pointed  out  certain  advantages  to  parents,  saying,  "The  nerve-racking 
responsibility  of  caring  for  the  youngsters  may  l:)e  shifted  to  safe 
shoulders,  the  parents  relieved,  and  the  hoy  delighted."  He  thought 
that  the  lesson  of  camping  had  come  slow  as  all  things  do  in  educa- 
tion, but  that  "enterprising  teachers  and  lovers  of  boys  have  found 
camps  to  be  a  source  of  help,  health,  and  profit,"  and  that,  "undoubtedly 
they  have  come  to  stay  and  they  deserve  to."  Here  we  see  reasons 
set  forth  for  camp  life  as  not  only  a  release  from  city  environment,  but 
for  physical  development,  relief  of  parental  responsibility,  and  nature 
study. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  pioneers  in  camping  responded  to  some  felt 
need  in  their  situation  without  being  conscious  of  its  implications,  but 
as  experience  in  this  type  of  life  increased,  many  reasons  for  it  were 
formulated.    Its  benefits  were  more  and  more  analyzed  and  described. 

Genetic  Psychology  and  the  Camping  Idea 

The  next  suggestion  that  summer  camp  experiences  were  desirable 
came  from  the  field  of  psychology.  In  1904  Dr.  G.  Stanley  Hall's 
monumental  work  "Adolescence"  was  published.  He  set  forth  in  much 
detail  the  theory  that  the  individual  recapitulates  the  experience  of  the 
race  in  its  various  stages  of  evolution,  and  undertook  to  show  how 
necessary  it  is  iot  the  individual  to  live  out  and  give  some  expression 
to  the  instincts  that  were  natural  to  each  period  of  his  existence.  This 
theory  implies  that  the  period  of  childhood  corresponds  somewhat  to 
that  of  savagery  in  the  race  and  hence  the  child  needs  to  be  brought 
up  in  a  more  or  less  primitive  environment  where  he  can  live  and  give 
expression  to  his  savage  instincts  and  thus  get  them  out  of  his  system. 

In  his  introduction  to  "Adolescence"  Dr.  Hall  stated  the  theory 
thus : 

The  child  revels  in  savagery,  and  if  its  tribal,  predatory,  hunting,  fishing,  fight- 
ing, roving,  idle,  playing  proclivities  could  be  indulged  in  the  country,  and  under 
conditions  that  now,  alas !  seem  hopelessly  ideal,  they  could  conceivably  be  so 
organized  and  directed  as  to  be  far  more  humanistic  and  liberal,  than  all  tha.t  the 
best  modern  school  can  provide. 

These  nativistic  and  more  or  less  feral  instincts  can  and  should  be  fed  and 
formed.  Thej  deep  and  strong  cravings  in  the  individual  to  revive  the  ancestral 
experiences  and  occupations  of  the  race  can  and  must  be  met.  at  least  in  a  sec- 
ondary and  vicarious  way,  by  tales  of  the  heroic  virtues  the  child  can  appreciate, 
and  these  proxy  experiences  should  make  up  by  variety  and  extent  what  they  lack 
in  intensity.  ...  So.  too,  in  our  urbanized  hothouse  life,  that  tends  to  ripen  every- 
thing before  its  time,  we  must  teach  nature.  .  .  .  But  we  must  not  in  so  doing 
wean  still  more  from,  but  perpetually  incite  to  visit  field,  forest,  hill,  shore,  the 
water,  flowers,  animals,  the  true  homes|  of  childhood  in  this  wild  undomesticated 
stage  from  which  modern  conditions  have  kidnaped  and  transported  him.  These 
two  staples,  stories  and  nature,  by  these  informal  methods  of  home  and  the  en- 
vironment constitute  fundamental  education.* 


'Hal],  G.  Stanley.  Adolescence;  Introduction,  p.  xi. 


24  Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

This  recapitulation  theory,  widely  studied  and  acted  upon  by  boys' 
workers  during  the  next  two  decades,  had  a  marked  influence  on  the 
leaders  of  camps.  Dr.  Hall  was  frequently  quoted  by  Camp  Directors 
who  were  urging  the  values  of  the  summer  camp  for  boys  and  girls. 
This  gave  still  further  impetus  to  the  motivation  of  campers  toward 
plenty  of  "roughing-it."  This  trend  was  in  evidence  very  soon  after 
publication  of  the  psychologist's  two  big  volumes.  We  find  it  running 
through  an  article  by  Dr.  W.  H.  Kinnicutt,  a  physical  director  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  published  just  two  years  later. 

This  writer  said :  "Great  Men  came  from  the  country.  .  .  .  Nothing 
can  compensate  for  the  loss  of  acquaintance  and  experience  with  out 
of  doors.  It  involves  more  than  health;  it  comprehends  that  intuitive 
sense  of  nature's  purpose  in  the  world,  that  of  which  school  training 
is  but  the  supplement."*'  He  held  that  travel  was  too  expensive ;  that 
gymnasiums  and  playgrounds  were  just  fair  substitutes  and  the  school 
was  to  instruct  the  mind ;  "but  for  the  in.spiration.  the  breadth  of  vision, 
the  refinement  of  eye  and  ear  which  contact  with  nature  brings  there 
is  no  substitute." 

He  accepted  Dr.  Hall's  theory  of  recapitulation. 

No  other  form  of  recreation  is  so  attractive  to  the  natural  boy  as  "camping 
out";  he  loves  to  enjoy  nature  at  first  hand  by  "roughing  it."  .  .  .  He  does  not 
know  or  care  that  he  is  proving  the  law  of  natural  reversion  and  recalling  racial 
experience — he  just  wants  to  break  loose  from  his  cultured  environment  and  throw 
himself  into  the  arms  of  Mother  Nature.  .  .  .  Fortunate  the  parent  whose  child 
proves  that  the  racial  instinct  is  not  all  bred  out  of  him. 

The  great  fundamental  lessons  of  life  are  to  be  gained  by  experience,  by 
absorption  rather  than  by  precept.  The  modern  system  of  education  of  the  city 
suffers  because  of  the  pupil's  lack  of  foundation  in  physical  experience.  .  .  .  The 
wisely  conducted  summer  camp  is  the  invaluable  opportunity  for  the  city-reared 
boy  to  establish  himself  in  the  knowledge  which  only  nature  can  reveal.  In  the 
very  fact  that  the  education  is  unconsciously  gained  lies  its  power.  .  .  .  Nature's 
method  is  that  of  least  resistance — gaining  knowledge  as  the  snowball  gains  bulk- 
by  rolling. 

The  principles  of  primitive  society  pervade  the  camp.  "What  is  my  share  of 
the  work?"  is  the  cordial  question.  Procuring  firewood,  carrying  water,  cooking 
meals,  airing  bedding,  washing  dishes,  ditching  tents,  burying  refuse,  all  furnish 
ample  answer.  .  .  .  The  shirker  soon  finds  himself  on  the  outside  of  the  fun,  for 
the  fun  of  camp  is  active — it  is  in  doing  things.  He  with  the  selfif;h  taint  soon 
finds  that  the  more  he  gets  the  less  he  enjoys.  .  .  .  The  levelling  and  regulating 
influences  of  a  boys  camp  upon  personality  is  often  only  short  of  miraculous.  .  .  . 
A  principle  not  to  be  overlooked  is  this  :  The  morale  of  the  camp  depends  on 
the  work  being  done  by  the  boys  themselves; — not  by  hired  help." 

-As  a  further  evidence  of  this  man's  belief  in  the  value  to  campers 
of  difficult  experiences  we  quote:  "Several  for  self -discipline  inured 
themselves  to  sleeping  on  the  floor  rolled  in  their  blankets.  Sunburn 
was  endured  with  fortitude,  and  every  conceivable  discomfort  was 
sought  which  would  test  the  individual's  endurance  of  hardship." 


"Kinnioutt,    W.    II..    M.    D.      The    .School    in    the    Camp.    Outlook,   Vok    8.?,    1906, 
p.   706. 

*/bid. 


The  Period  of  Expansion  25 

But  in  contrast  to  Dr.  Kinnicutt,  who  criticized  the  school  system, 
we  find  at  the  same  time  there  were  school  minded  men  conducting 
camps.  These  men  did  not  feel  that  camp  was  more  educational  than 
the  school,  hut  that  its  main  function  was  to  make  the  school  term  more 
productive.  They  too  quoted  Dr.  Hall's  theory  of  instincts  and  thoui,dit 
they  had  found  in  camping  a  way  to  meet  the  needs  of  boys  in  play 
and  recreation.  Tutoring  in  summer  camps,  they  did  not  approve,  but 
rather  rest  and  recreation  "to  fit  the  boys  for  the  winter's  schooling; 
evervthing  else  is  subsidiary."  "A  chief  object  of  camp,"  they  said, 
"is  to  keep  the  boys  out  of  doors  and  engaged  in  some  clean  healthful 
occupation,  whether  athletics,  walking,  fishing,  tramping  in  the  woods 
and  meadows" — with  a  long  trip  of  50  to  75  miles  for  a  week  of 
"roughing  it,"  or  a  minstrel  show  or  sometimes  a  play.  These  men 
summed  up  their  views  of  camping  by  saying  that  "A  summer  camp 
is  in  many  ways  like  a  boarding  school  without  any  lessons,"  but  "the 
counselors  must  rule  by  example  and  constant  watchfulness  and  care 
rather  than  dignified  strictness.  .  .  .  The  good  and  comfort  of  all 
must  prevail.  .  .  .  The  great  thing  in  camp  life  for  a  boy  is  the 
knowledge  of  other  boys  and  the  knowledge  of  nature."^ 

Certainly  there  was  much  variation  in  camps;  some  of  the  tutoring 
camps  were  practically  outdoor  summer  schools.  Yet  even  the  school 
men  quoted  above  were  aware  that  a  different  type  of  discipline  from 
the  regimentation  of  school  was  necessary  if  camping  was  to  be  a 
worthwhile  experience.  The  adult  must  not  stand  on  his  "dignity" 
if  he  would  be  a  camp  counselor.  It  appears  that  nearly  all  the  camps 
had  at  least  one  principle  in  common  for  handling  boys  in  camp :  to 
"keep  them  full  and  keep  them  tired." 

Here  is  the  way  Carlyle  Ellis  stated  it  in  1913: 

Let  them  have  all  the  wholesome  food  they  can  consume  and  keep  them  so 
interestingly  and  actively  occupied  every  minute  of  every  day  that  there  will  be 
room  for  nothing  but  healthy  growth  and  the  zest  for  clean  keen  things. 

This  camp  life  is  the  nearest  thing  imaginable  to  an  ideal  epitome  of  after  life 
out  in  the  world,  with  its  demands  and  struggles  and  rewards,  its  need  fori  self- 
discipline  and  self-improvement.  If  that  is  true,  surely  it  is  the  nearest  thing  to 
a  perfect  system  of  education  in  existence,  and  so,  being  immeasurably  different 
from  virtually  all  the  accepted  and  practiced  systems  of  education,  it  is  a  very 
significant  matter  indeed.' 

Summarizing  somewhat,  it  may  be  said  that  the  growth  of  camps 
which  was  quite  slow  at  first  became  more  rapid  as  results  became 
evident  in  lives  of  boys.  In  earlier  camps  boys  learned  much  through 
experience  from  the  work  of  operating  and  constructing  the  camp  equip- 
ment and  desired  furniture  for  every-day  living.  Few  camps  built 
equipment  of  a  permanent  nature,  and  many  of  them  changed  sites 
from  year  to  year  so  that  much  of  the  idea  of  the  camping  trip  re- 
mained.   Organization  was  very  loosely  arranged  to  suit  the  daily  needs. 

'Mulford,  W.  M.  and  R.  J. ;  The  Call  of  the  Camp;  Outlook.  Vol.  95,  May.  1910, 
p.   179. 

"Ellis.  Carlyle;  Young  America  in  Camp;  Everybody's,  Vol.  28,  June,  1913, 
p.   723. 


26  Organized  Camming  and  Progressive  Education 

By  1900  there  were  a  few  camp  directors  with  several  years  of  expe- 
rience, who  had  come  to  select  from  the  variety  of  ways  of  doing  things 
certain  ones  which  seemed  to  them  "best  ways."  More  organization, 
more  permanent  locations,  more  equipment,  larger  numbers  of  camp- 
ers, more  durable  buildings  and  a  larger  variety  of  activities  resulted. 

The  first  magazine  articles  about  camps  were  chiefly  description ;" 
but  the  next  step  seemed  to  be  to  rationalize  camping  and  to  create 
in  the  public  mind  some  sort  of  idea  of  what  camp  life  should  do  for 
boys  and  girls.  A  sort  of  "sales-talk"  was  evident  in  magazine  articles. 
They  were  no  longer  merely  telling  what  was  done,  but  assigned  pur- 
poses and  valued  for  the  various  experiences  of  camp  life.  The  early 
purposes  of  adventure  and  recreation  had  been  modified  by  the  ideas 
of  physical  education,  manual  training  and  nature  study.  For  many, 
the  camp  did  not  exist  for  its  own  sake,  but  as  a  means  of  making  the 
child  fit  for  getting  most  from  his  school  year.  The  influence  of 
Stanley  Hall  was  strongly  in  favor  of  the  summer  camp  and  influenced 
it  toward  a  rugged  primitive  expression.  Nowhere  else  could  boys  so 
well  be  little  .savages,  work  (nit  their  savage  instincts,  and  develop  the 
savage  virtues  as  in  camp. 

In  1910  the  Camp  Directors  Association  was  organized  and  from 
that  time  we  have  some  real  organization  of  the  movement,  although 
at  no  time  has  this  organization  had  a  sufficiently  high  percentage  of 
the  camp  people  in  its  meml)ership  to  really  speak  for  the  entire  camp- 
ing movement.  The  Association  did  begin  to  hold  conferences  for 
sharing  of  experiences  and  from  this  beginning  has  developed  a  con- 
tinuous study  of  camping — purposes,  objectives,  and  activities. 

In  a  magazine  article  in  1912  camp  was  presented  for  the  first  time, 
not  in  generalized  rationalizations  of  purpose,  nor  in  descriptions  of 
group  activity,  but  in  actual  descriptions  of  what  had  happened  in 
the  lives  of  individual  campers;  such  as,  changes  in  attitudes  and  in 
personality  traits.  It  pictures  a  girl  who  had  been  to  camp  and  had 
learned  how  to  enjoy  doing  the  work  of  caring  for  herself  as  part 
of  the  camp  community,  coming  back  taking  the  place  of  a  maid  in  her 
wealthy  home  to  find  the  happiness  of  "being  needed."  Likewise  a 
boy  who  had  been  "hard  to  manage,"  after  his  summer  in  camp  served 
notice  on  his  parents  that  he  wanted  his  week-ends  ofT  so  he  could  go 
to  the  woods  and  teach  other  boys  how  to  have  a  good  time  and  in- 
vited his  tutor  to  accompany  him.  "This  boy  and  this  girl,"  said  the 
writers,  "are  typical  children.  The  boy,  needing  with  all  a  boy's  being, 
the  joy  that  comes  from  experiment  and  plans  initiated  by  himself, 
'broke  out'  periodically  in  ways  that  made  him  the  despair  of  private 
.schools,  tutors,  and  parents."^"  But  in  camp  life  he  found  what  he 
longed  for  and  became  a  different  person.  The  change  in  method  also 
stated  in  this  article  is  especially  noticeable  in  the  emphasis  it  places 
upon  era  ft  work  and  things   for  one  to  jilan  and   do   with  his  hands. 

"See  Chapter  I. 

"Gtilick,  L.  H.  and  Patton,  Grace;  The  "Why"  of  Summer  Camps  for  Boys  and 
Girls;  Good  Housekeeping,  Vol.  54,   1912,  p.  825. 


The  Period  oj  Expansion  27 

"It  is  in  providinii;  this  craft  work."  declared  the  writers,  "that  the 
modem  camp  differs  from  the  old-fashioned  camp.  But  bathing,  boat- 
ing, all  water  sports,  tramping  and  outdoor  activities  of  every  kind  are 
really  on  a  new  basis  and  all  of  them  under  the  supervision  of  someone 
competent  to  teach"^^ 

Although  most  camps  have  broadened  the  lines  ef  activity  and  some 
of  them  are  becoming  careful  to  select  counselors  who  arc  trained  and 
mature,  much  camping  has  always  been  done  on  the  "old-fashioned" 
basis.  In  1931  the  writer  met  a  young  man  who  had  previously  })een 
a  camper  with  him,  but  who  at  the  time  was  serving  as  a  coun.selor 
in  a  large  boys'  camp  operated  by  a  denominational  Assembly.  This 
camp  was  advertised  as  modern  in  its  program,  but  the  young  man  was 
disappointed  to  find  practically  no  attempt  to  offer  boys  anything  but 
sports  and  hiking.  No  attempt  at  crafts,  or  other  means  for  providing 
new  interests  and  skills,  was  being  made. 

In  searching  the  periodical  literature  of  the  period,  another  article 
was  noted  which  valued  camping  because  of  its  correction  of  objection- 
able personal  traits.  This  article  said  of  a  boy  who  had  always  run 
from  his  difficulties  that  in  camp, 

he  stays  to  face  everything.  His  fellows  come  to  know'  exactly  what  manner  of 
boy  he  is.  Best  of  all  he  comes  to  know  what  he  is  himself.  .  .  .  First  his  camp- 
mates  will  compel  him  to  observe  the  tenets  of  democracy ;  next  he  will  see  that 
it  is  one  of  the  first  laws  of  a  normal  life  and  there  will  be  no  more  ofj  tlici  snob 
in  him.  The  individuality  of  the  boy  is  given  large  expression.  There  are  in- 
numerable things  he  can  do,  each  of  which  has  in  it  an  opportunity  for  the  exercise 
of  inventiveness  and  the  play  of  imagination.  No  day's  program  is  laid  down  so 
rigidly  that  there  is  not  a  place  for  the  unexpected." 

Although  some  observation  of  the  changes  in  individuals  is  indicated 
by  such  an  article,  there  is  no  recognition  of  the  fact  that  not  all  indi- 
viduals will  react  toward  these  groups  and  situations  thus  constructive- 
ly; that  individual  study  and  guidance  is  needed  for  many  boys  and 
girls  in  order  to  aid  them  in  making  proper  adjustments. 

Woodcraft  and  Pioneering  Organizations  for  Youth 

Before  going  further  it  is  necessary  to  give  consideration  to  another 
set  of  movements  which  emphasized  primitive  and  outdoor  life.  His- 
tory of  these  movements  has  developed  about  the  names  of  four  men : 
Ernest  Thompson  Seton.  Sir  Robert  Baden-Powell,  Daniel  Carter 
Beard,  and  James  E.  West.  Woodcraft  originated  in  America  out  of 
the  experience  of  Mr.  Seton.  Scouting  was  suggested  to  General  Baden- 
Powell  by  his  experiences  in  South  Africa  during  the  Boer  War  and 
was  later  worked  out  in  England.  For  a  time  in  America  both  move- 
ments were  united  around  the  personality  of  Mr.  Seton.  He  described 
the  origin  of  the  Woodcraft  idea  in  the  20th  edition  of  the  "Birch  Bark 
Roll" : 


"Macfarlane,   Peter ;   Schools  of  Fun  and  Fellowship ;   Good  Housekeeping,  Vol. 
58,   1914,  p.  584. 


28  Orga?i'izcd  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

The  Woodcraft  idea  has  possessed  me  all  my  life.  In  1875  when  I  was  a  boy 
of  14,  I  founded  in  Toronto  a  "Robin  Hood  Club"  Whose  object  was  to  practice 
outdoor  life,  combining  the  woodcraft  of  Robin  Hood  and  of  Leather  Stocking. 
Among  other  things  its  rangers  were  to  use  only  bows  as  weapons  and  abstain 
from  use  of  matches  in  fire  lighting.  The  club  did  not  last!  long  but  the  dream 
never  left  me  and  from  time  to  time  I  made  attempts  to  realize  it." 

In  1902  Mr.  Seton  began  to  write  and  publish  in  magazines  his  out- 
lines for  the  organization  of  the  Woodcraft  Indians  and  several  tribes 
were  organized.  The  same  year  the  first  edition  of  the  Birch  Bark  Roll 
was  published.  When  the  Scout  Movement  began  to  take  form  in 
England  a  few  years  later  Mr.  Seton  visited  England  and  niade  his 
contribution  to  Scouting.  He  became  head  of  a  committee  to  organize 
the  Boy  Scout  work  in  America  in  1910. 

But  before  the  founding  of  the  national  movement  in  1910  Scouting 
had  been  widely  introduced  into  America  through  the  work  and  organ- 
ization of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  In  1908  and  1909 
it  was  introduced  into  some  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Camps  and  troops  of 
Scouts  were  being  organized  in  several  city  Associations.  In  "Asso- 
ciation Boys"  for  December.  1909,  appeared  a  notice  containing  this 
paragraph : 

Scouting  For  Boys,  by  Lieuteiiant-General  Baden-Powell,  C.  B.,  furnishes 
three  himdred  pages  of  suggestive  hints,  many  of  which  can  be  appropriated 
by  almost  any  kind  of  organization  for  boys  in  their  teens.  It  is  reported  that 
over  three  hundred  thousand  boys  in  England  are  already  enlisted  in  "The  Boy 
Scouts."  Our  Association  Press  has  sent  to  England  for  a  shipment  of  these 
books  (forty  cents  each)  with  the  hope  that  not  only  Boys  Work  Secretaries  but 
teachers  in  Boys'  Bible  Classes  and  leaders  of  groups  of  boys  both  in  the  Asso- 
ciation and  out,  may  take  advantage  of  as  much  of  the  scouting  idea  as  may 
appeal  to  them.^* 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Camps  had  already  been  using  much  of  the  mate- 
rial of  the  Woodcraft  Indians  for  in  1905  the  June  issue  of  Aasocia- 
tion  Boys  carried  the  "Laws  of  the  Seton  Indians"  with  this  introduc- 
tory paragraph : 

The  Seton  Indians  have  been  organized  to  give  young  people  the  advantages  of 
camp  life  without  its  dangers.  The  Indian  form  was  adopted  because  its  pic- 
turesqueness  gives  such  a  hold  on  boys;  it  makes  them  self-governing;  it  is  ap- 
propriate to  outdoor  life;  it  gives  definite  things  to  do  in  the  woods,  and  it  is  so 
plastic  that  it  may  be  engrafted  on  any  other  organized  mode  of  camping,  to  any 
desired  extent,  in  whole  or  in  part." 

W^e  find  pictures  and  written  accounts  of  the  introduction  of  Scout- 
ing into  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Camps  in  the  Jime,  1910,  issue  of  Association 
Boys.  H.  W.  Gibson  writing  of  "Scouting  at  Camps  Becket  and  Dur- 
rell,"  where  Scouting  had  been  a  part  of  the  program  for  two  years 
previous,  said : 

We  have  found  the  scoutcraft  to  be  a  most  excellent  thing  for  our  camps  and 
expect  to  do  more  of  it  this  year  than  last.  There  were  thirty  boys  at  Camp 
Durrell  and  twenty-three  at  Camp  Becket  who  won  the  emblems  for  their  sweaters 
(Swastikas)  for  proficiency  in  Scouting.  ...  I  am  very  enthusiastic  over  the  Scout 


'Seton,  E.  T. ;  Birch  Bark   Roll.   20th  Edition,  p.  ix. 
'Association  Boys;  December.  1909.  Vol.  8,  p.  325. 
"Association  Boys,  June.  1905  ;  Vol.  4,  p.  99. 


The  Ptiiod  of  Expa/ision  29 

idea,   and  believe  that   patrols   and  troops   should   he  ori^anized   in   all   our   Asso- 
ciations.^" 

We  find  that  it  was  the  avowed  purpose  of  the  Y.  M.  C  .A.  Boys' 
Workers  to  promote  the  Scout  Movement  as  much  as  possihle. 
In  the  saine  issue  of  their  magazine  several  of  these  men  described 
the  experiences  they  have  had  in  organizing  and  intro(kicing  Scouting 
to  boys.  Taylor  Statten,  then  Boys'  Secretary  of  the  Toronto  Associa- 
tion, said: 

While  racking  our  brains  for  some  scheme  which  would  divide  our  membership 
into  small  groups  under  adult  leadership  and  also  furnish  an  honor  system  of 
character  development  with  sufficient  incentive  to  induce  boys  to  take  a  live  inter- 
est, we  came  across  a  copy  of  Scouting  For  Boys.  Here  was  a  scheme  which  not 
only  embodied  the  group  plan  and  honor  system,  but  was  so  simple  and  elastic  that 
it  might  easily  be  adapted  to  our  work.  However,  when  it  was  first  presented  to 
our  boys'  cabinet,  it  was  received  with  much  ridicule  and  finally  voted  down. 
These  older  boys  thought  it  savored  too  much  of  the  "tin  soldier"  idea.  .  .  .  The 
cabinet  was  unanimous  on  the  decision  that  we  should  introduce  what  would  be 
known  as  the  group  plan  of  the  honor  system  of  character  development.  .  .  . 
During  the  season  thirt^'-two  groups  were  organized.  The  most  successful  have 
been  the  three  which  voted  that  they  would  become  Boy  Scouts  and  followed  the 
book.  Bible  Study  was  made  one  of  the  prominent  features,  and  the  fifth  Toronto 
Troop  of  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Boy  Scouts  captured  our  local  Bible  Study  Cup  for  the 
past  season." 

Since  hiking  and  camping  trips  were  a  part  of  the  program  of  Boy 
Scout  Troops,  as  the  Scouting  movement  grev/  and  spread  it  became 
the  means  of  introducing  more  and  more  people  to  the  idea  of  camp- 
ing and  gave  a  real  impetus  to  the  summer  camp  movement — so  much 
so  that  any  group  of  boys  out  hiking  or  camping  are  apt  to  be  spoken 
of  as  "Boy  Scouts."  Boy  Scout  camps  were  at  first  very  primitive, 
and  usually  quite  temporary  both  as  to  sites  and  equipment.  More 
recently  some  of  the  larger  city  councils  have  established  camps  on 
permanent  sites  and  with  good  buildings  and  excellent  equipment  for 
all  kinds  of  camping  activities. 


Rise  of  Girls'  Organizations 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Luther  Gulick  founded  the  Camp-Fire  Girls  in  1911. 
This  organization  placed  large  emphasis  on  home-making  activities, 
physical  development  and  outdoor  life.  Their  Watchwords  are :  Work, 
Health,  Love.  The  Girls  Guides,  modelled  after  the  Boy  Scout  organi- 
zation, had  already  been  organized  in  England,  when  in  1912  the  first 
troop  of  Girl  Scouts  was  organized  in  Savannah,  Georgia.  These  or- 
ganizations, together  with  the  Girl  Reserves,  the  adolescent  division 
of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  have  been  the  chief 
means  of  extending  the  opportunities  of  camping  and  outdoor  life  to 
large  numbers  of  girls. 


'Association  Boys;  June,  1910,  Vol.  9,  p.  89. 
'/bid. 


30  Organized  Cam-ping  and  Progressive  Educati/m 

Camping  Adopted  by  Leisure  Time  Agencies 

Settlements  and  Boys'  Clubs  also  became  interested  in  providing 
the  advantages  of  camping  for  children  of  the  poor,  but  this  type  of 
camp  was  not  widespread  before  the  World  War.  A  few  projects 
have  been  described  in  periodical  literature.  One  article  tells  the  story 
of  a  Boys'  Club  in  San  Francisco  where  a  group  of  boys  were  organ- 
ized for  a  six  weeks'  trip  to  the  country  each  summer  from  1903  to 
1906.  They  worked  part  time  for  fruit-growers  and  earned  enough 
to  pay  the  expenses  of  their  camp  and  trip.^*^  There  were  other  self- 
support  projects  like  this.  Miss  Woods,  Headworker  at  South-End 
House,  Boston,  describes  two  such  projects  conducted  by  that  House 
and  one  by  Hale  House.^^  One  was  carried  on  for  several  years  by 
organizing  the  boys  as  caddies  for  a  summer  resort  golf  club;  the  boys 
camped  and  earned  their  own  expenses.  Camp  Hale  was  more  on  the 
order  of  what  came  to  be  called  the  "Fresh  Air  Camp."  It  was  con- 
sidered a  social  experiment  at  that  time.  Located  on  Asquam  Lake  it 
was  said  that  it  neither  emphasized  awards  nor  a  fixed  program  of 
activity  at  a  time  (1911)  when  these  were  coming  into  considerable 
practice. 

By  1915  the  summer  camp  movement  seems  to  have  pretty  well 
compassed  America  and  gone  out  with  our  missionaries  to  other  lands. 
In  "American  Youth"  for  October,  1913.  we  find  J.  C.  Clark,  a  Boys' 
Work  Secretary  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  describing  the  first  boys'  camp  to 
be  held  in  China. 

While  the  summer  camp  was  becoming  an  organized  movement  in 
America,  in  Europe  where  the  school  calendar  comprised  the  entire 
year  with  rather  brief  holiday  vacations  now  and  then,  the  outdoor 
movement  took  the  form  of  camping  out  on  week-ends  or  holiday 
hiking  trips.  Dr.  Joaquin  Miller  of  the  World's  Alliance  of  Young 
Men's  Christian  Associations,  Geneva,  Switzerland,  in  1931  translated 
a  statement  from  Pfarrer  Udo  Smidt,  General  Secretary  of  the  German 
Hi-Y  Movement,  as  follows : 

The  14th  Report  of  the  National  Committee  of  Hi-Y  Work,  published  in 
1910,  says  on  page  22:  "Hiking  and  camping  have  from  the  very  beginning  been 
intimately  related  to  our  Hi-Y  life.  As  early  as  1883  some  ten  Hi-Y  boys  under- 
took a  hike  to  Freimersheim,  on  the  Rhine.  At  Easter,  1884,  the  first  real  five 
days  holiday-camp  took  place  in  Freimersheim  again,  at  which  nearly  twenty  Hi-Y 
boys  from  Berlin,  Eberfeld,  Gutersloh,  Bonn,  Duisburg  and  Krefeld  participated. 
Those  days  were  so  much  enjoyed  that  in  the  same  year  during  the  autumn  holi- 
days another  trip  with  about  an  equal  number  of  participants  .  .  .  was  undertaken 
to  the  same  place.  The  year  1885  shows  a  similar  picture.  In  1886  a  hiking  trip 
to  Bethel  near  Bielefeld  was  undertaken,  where  the  famous  Sanatoriums  of  Pastor 
Bodelschwingh  offered  hospitality.  A  wonderful  trip  was  made  from  there 
through  the  Teutoburger  Wald  (Teutoberg  Forest)  to  the  Hcrmannsdenkmal." 

Dr.  Miller's  comment  is : 

You  will  see  from  this  statement  that  in  German  youth  circles,  hiking  was  from 
the  beginning  combined  with  camping,  though  not  in  the  sense  of  having  regular 


"Charities.  Vol.  17,  1906,  p.  131. 
"Survey,  Vol.  27,  October  7,  1911,  p.  969. 


The  Period  of  Expansian  31 

summer  camps.  This  latter  tyjK'  of  camping  became  a  real  factor  of  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
work  only  after  the  war,  at  the  time  when  the  German  Youth  Movement  was  at 
it$  height.  In  1920  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  started  in  Saarow,  near  Berlin,  the  first 
great  summer  camp,  and  since  then  camps  are  regularly  held  in  all  parts  of 
Germany  and  in  all  branches  of  the  work,  so  that  it  is  now  quite  a  common 
feature  of  German  Association  Programme.'" 

These  statements  make  clear  the  difference  in  the  development  of 
camping  in  Europe  and  America. 

Infuence  of  the  World  War  on  Camping 

The  World  War  was  another  factor  influencing  the  camping  move- 
ment in  America;  it  brought  more  Americans  under  military  training 
than  ever  before  and  turned  the  thought  of  many  people  in  that  direc- 
tion. Truly,  there  was  not  much  in  the  life  of  the  big  cantonments 
that  resembled  life  in  a  summer  camp,  but  there  came  to  be  a  trend 
toward  military  training  and  drill  which  distinctily  affected  camp  pro- 
grams. This  influence  grew  in  strength  after  the  war  with  the  devel- 
opment of  the  Citizens'  Military  Training  Camps  which  were  open  to 
youth.  There  had  long  been  some  military  camps  established  by  military 
schools.  Culver  established  its  Indiana  Summer  Schools  as  early  as 
1902.  The  W^ar  tended  to  popularize  this  type  of  camp  for  the  next 
decade. 

One  of  the  men  who  threw  his  influence  against  the  militarization 
of  boys  in  camps  was  a  psychologist  who  for  many  years  conducted 
a  camp  which  he  started  for  experimental  purposes  studying  the  devel- 
opment of  boy  life  through  the  camp.  His  early  experimentation  is 
interesting  for  its  own  sake  as  well  as  for  a  background  for  his  later 
conclusions.  According  to  a  description  published  in  1916,-^  Chas. 
K.  Taylor,  as  an  experiment  in  applied  psychology  with  especial  in- 
terest in  the  relation  of  educational  methods  to  character  development, 
founded  Camp  Penn  in  1907  on  Vulcan  Island  in  Lake  Champlain. 
He  selected  his  campers  from  families  of  the  rich,  and  placed  them 
in  camp  to  do  most  of  the  work  for  themselves  after  the  fashion  of 
Ernest  Balch.  Although  he  hired  dishwashers  and  cooks,  the  boys 
served  tables  and  were  required  to  wash  towels  and  stockings  at  least. 
The  motto  of  the  camp  was  said  to  be,  "Do  it  yourself." 

Some  of  the  description  may  well  be  quoted :  "The  first  day  the 
boy  arrives  he  is  confronted  with  the  necessity  of  putting  up  his  own 
tent,  flooring  it,  making  his  own  cot,  and  any  other  camp  furniture 
that  is  desired  or  needed.  His  amusements  and  occupations  are  largely 
of  his  own  choice  and  devising — though  under  competent  instruction 
and  unobtrusive  suggestion."  Such  a  scheme  is  made  possible  by  loca- 
tion of  the  camp  on  a  five  hundred  acre  island,  rocky  and  wooded  in 
such  fashion  that  the  camp  is  readily  divided  into  small  groups,  each 
with  a  distinct  camp  site. 


"Document  No.  2. 

^Foster,  Thomas;  Making  Men;  Outing.  Vol.  67,  January,  1916,  p.  389. 


ZZ  Organized  Cainphig  arid  Progressive  Education 

The  article  continues : 

There  are  a  large  number  of  possible  recreations  .  .  .  and  each  boy  chooses 
his  own  recreation  and  follows  it  in  his  own  way,  subject  to  the  necessary  advice 
from  his  counselor  and  receiving  as  little  help  as  possible.  So  far  as  possible 
Mr.  Taylor  avoids  the  appearance  of  a  set  program  for  the  day's  work.  A  set 
routine  too  often  destroys  initiative  and  self-reliance.  In  the  morning  the  boys 
foUow  their  own  bent,  botanizing  and  such  like,  but  the  counselor  is  responsible 
for  his  group.  .  .  .  Many  activities  in  the  camp  have  come  through  the  initiative 
and  vote  of  the  boys  themselves. 

Individual  tents  are  probably  the  most  comfortable  and  tastefully  equipped  of 
any  in  the  country,  despite  the  fact  that  all  this  is  left  entirely  to  the  judgment 
and  constructive  ability  of  the  group  themselves — or  perhaps  for  that  very  reason. 
.  .  .  The  washing  of  stockings  may  not  be;  the  key  to  success  in  life,  but  it  is  an 
excellent  corrective  of  the  spirit  of  helpless  indifTerence.  Also  you  cannot  wash 
your  stockings  and  still  be  conceited.  .  .  .  Few  boys  learn  to  do  a  mean  job 
gracefully. 

Concerning  the  discipHne  v\'e  are  told: 

Each  boy  knows  from  the  outset  that  downright  disobedience  means  instant 
dismissal.  The  discipline,  while  for  the  most  part  unseen,  is  very  definite.  Forty 
boys  busy  at  work  and  play  exercise  a  compelling  influence  upon  each  other  which 
is  far  superior  to  that  of  any  orders  from  higher  up."  t 

In  this  camp  there  seems  to  have  been  so  mtich  of  freedom  and 
initiative  for  the  individual  camper,  that  one  begins  to  wonder  if  this 
camp  director  was  not  ahead  of  his  day,  and  then  he  comes  upon  a 
few  paragraphs  where  he  finds  that  this  so-called  initiative  and  self- 
reliance  must  be  stimulated  by  a  series  of  awards  to  be  given  at  the 
end  of  the  camp  season. 

Mr.  Taylor  gave  his  own  views  that  camping  is  for  all-round  devel- 
opment, particularly  to  develop  "self-reliance,  resourcefulness,  initiative, 
a  pride  in  self-help,  and  an  ability  to  constrtict  and  do  things  with  one's 
own  hands."  He  criticized  the  average  camp  for  "The  average  camp 
encourages  baseball,  swimming,  boating,  and  even  'hikes.'  All  that  it 
expects  to  dd  is  to  keep  the  boys  well  fed,  out  of  mischief,  and  suffi- 
ciently amtised,  and  to  send  the  boys  home  at  the  end  of  the  stunmer 
in  good  physical  condition."  This  he  said  is  worth  while,  btit  is  far 
from  realizing  the  finest  possibilities  of  the  experienced^ 

Although  he  was  willing  to  use  a  short  period  of  military  drill  each 
day — in  this  period  when  military  drill  was  popular — for  disciplinary 
purposes,  Mr.  Taylor  wrote:  "Folks  who  apply  the  machine  like  army 
idea  to  the  younger  generation  do  not  understand  the  yotmger  gener- 
ation and  they  also  miss  very  great  opportunities  for  developing  inde- 
pendence, resourcefulness  and  initiative. """* 

Immediately  after  the  War,  however,  we  find  military  training  being 
forced  upon  the  boys  of  many  of  our  city  high  schools  and  being  adopted 
by  a  number  of  summer  camps.  The  first  Public  School  Camp,  Camp 
Roosevelt,  was   founded   by   Capt.    F.   L.    Beale,   U.    S.   A.,   who   was 


'''Ibid. 

''Taylor,  C.  K.  ;   When  Boys  Go  Camping;   Independent,  Vol.   90,   April,    1917, 
p.  68. 

"Taylor,  C.  K.  ;  Training  Voung  America;  Outlook,  Vol.  119,  May,  1918,  p.   107. 


The  Period-  of  Expansion  33 

Supervisor  of  Military  Training  and  Physical  Ivlucation  for  Chicago 
High  Schools.  Military  training  was  proposed  and  defended  largely 
on  the  ground  that  it  was  a  form  of  physical  education,  but  Capt. 
Beale  went  further.  "He  believes  that  the  only  sure  way  of  making 
good  citizens  of  our  boys  is  to  imbue  in  them  at  an  early  age.  a  love  of 
country  and  respect  for  American  Institutions  and  constituted  au- 
thority."-'' 

Camp  Roosevelt,  planned  by  Capt.  Beale,  who  secured  most  of  the 
equipment  from  the  War  Department,  was  held  under  the  auspices 
of  the  city  board  of  education  and  was  backed  by  an  association  of 
business  men.  It  carried  a  combination  of  three  sections  for  different 
age  groups :  a  scoutcraft  section  for  younger  boys ;  a  summer  school 
section  for  those  who  desired  school  work  or  tutoring;  and  an  R.  O. 
T.  C.  section  for  older  boys.  The  program  consisted  of  military  drills, 
sports,  entertainments,  lectures,  and  camp  fires.  The  War  Department 
was  reported  by  the  same  writer  to  have  adopted  the  plan  of  the  R.  O. 
T.  C.  section  of  this  camp  for  its  summer  citizens'  training  camps 
open  to  men  as  well  as  older  boys. 

Strongly  opposing  the  government's  policy  of  thus  militarizing  boys 
along  with  men  in  the  Citizens'  Military  Training  Camps,  Mr.  Taylor 
set  forth  in  1922  as  a  description  of  an  imaginary  camp,  his  idea  of 
a  substitute  which  he  believed  far  more  suitable  for  older  boys.  In 
this  camp  for  boys  16  to  18  years  of  age  he  proposed  to  reduce  the 
militar}'  drill  to  about  thirty  minutes  a  day  and  to  devote  more  time 
to  physical  training  and  real  camp  projects  of  building  things,  of  sports, 
map-making,  first  aid,  signalling,  and  with  individual  instruction  in 
sex  hygiene.  He  suggested  that  as  a  general  rule  nothing  should  be 
done  for  a  boy  that  he  could  do  for  himself — nothing  provided  that  he 
could  readily  make.  The  game  would  be  to  do  as  little  teaching  as 
possible,  but  to  show  the  boys  models,  sketches,  or  even  photographs, 
and  then  leave  them  to  carry  out  their  ideas  in  their  own  way.  Cer- 
tainly no  one  would  "stand  over  these  youngsters  and  merely  order 
them  to  do  this  and  that  and  so  do  all  the  work  mechanically"  as  is 
the  custom  in  military  fashion.  Profanity  would  disappear  from  the 
camp  because  the  officers  would  be  teachers  or  scoutmasters  (who  knew 
some  military  skills)  who  did  not  use  profanity  and  the  boys  admiring 
these  men  would  not  wish  to  use  it  either.  He  drew  a  strong  contrast 
with  the  regular  military  camp :  "W^e  wish  to  develop  resourcefulness 
and  initiative.  The  usual  military  machine  applied  to  boys  at  the  for- 
mative age  tends  to  destroy  both.  The  most  militaristic  nations  of 
Europe  knew  better  than  to  make  automata  of  adolescent  boys."-" 

Still  many  adolescent  boys  manage  to  attend  these  War  Department 
camps  each  summer.  There  are  also  many  private  camps  operated  on 
a  military  plan,  and  patronized  by  a  large  group  of  parents.  While 
these  are  probably  less  objectionable,  they  are  using  a  mass  type  of 

^Camp  Roosevelt;  Playground,  Vol.   14.  p.  685. 

^Taylor,  Charles  K.  ;  A.  Boys  Camp  of  Tomorrow:  The  Outlook.  Vol.  130, 
January  18,  1922.  p.  105. 


34  Organized  Cam-fing  and  Progressive  Education 

educational   procedure,    which    is   contrary   to   progressive   educational 
principles. 

Special  Types  of  Camps 

Three  other  types  of  camps  have  had  most  of  their  growth  since  the 
War — the  Charity  Fresh  Air  Camps,  the  Municipal  Health  and  Rec- 
reation Camps,  and  the  4-H  Club  or  Agricultural  Training  Camps. 
These  types  are  still  increasing  in  number  and  in  the  size  of  the  groups 
accommodated.  The  "Fresh-Air  Camp."  so  different  from  the  "Fresh- 
Air  Homes"  which  charity  organizations  established  as  forerunners 
of  these  camps  as  early  as  1872  is  the  type  of  outing  which  is  distinctly 
camping.  Some  of  these  older  organizations;  "Life's  Fresh-Air  Fund," 
for  example,  have  turned  to  this  type  of  work.-'  In  many  cities  news- 
papers have  sponsored  Fresh-Air  Camps  for  needy  children  and  solicited 
money  from  their  subscribers  and  the  general  public  to  provide  for  one 
or  more  weeks  of  camping  for  underprivileged  boys  and  girls.  An  in- 
teresting study  has  been  made  of  the  change  from  the  former  "country 
outing"  to  the  Fresh-Air  Camp  plan.  Not  only  health  and  recreation 
are  now  provided  for  needy  children,  but  these  outings  are  often  organ- 
ized as  progressive  educational  experiences.  Several  charitable  agencies 
of  the  Metropolitan  area  of  New  York  City  are  cooperating  in  their 
support  and  administration.^^ 

The  health  and  recreation  camps  established  and  conducted  by  muni- 
cipal departments  of  recreation  are  part  of  their  playground  and  park 
program,  but  outside  the  city  itself.  Los  Angeles,  California,  was  a 
pioneer  in  this  field.  From  their  early  demonstrations  of  value,  these 
camps  are  also  tending  to  become  widespread.  They  are  usually  con- 
ducted so  that  boys  and  girls  may  stay  for  longer  or  shorter  periods 
depending  upon  their  means  or  convenience.  These  camps  are  con- 
ducted and  supervised  by  a  staff  which  is  selected  and  paid  by  the 
Recreation  Departments. 

We  may  wonder  why  rural  boys  and  girls  go  camping  when  their 
lives  are  spent  in  the  country  and  quite  close  to  nature.  According 
to  Miss  Gertrude  Warren,  there  are  good  educational  reasons  for  the 
camps — even  for  farm  boys  and  girls : 

The  farm  boy  or  girl  enjoys  great  natural  advantages  in  country  surroundings; 
and  one  kind  of  work,  after  all,  is  as  satisfactory  as  another  if  you  are  suited  to 
it ;  but  between  the  length  of  time  required  each  day  for  farm  work,  the  distance 
from  one  farm  to  anotlier,  and  the  fact  that  both  field  work  and  the  hou.sekeeping 
tasks  often  tire  the  muscles,  the  habit  of  playing  together  is  not  formed  a.*?  readily 
by  the  country  boys  and  girls  as  by  those  who  are  thrown  more  frequently 
together." 

While  the  programs  of  these  camps  are  organized  primarily  about 
a  sharing  of  experiences  of  farm  work  and  learning  from  demonstra- 


"Sharp,  L.  B.  ;  Education  and  the  Summer  Camp.   19.30,  Chapter  I. 
^/bid. 

"Warren.  Gertrude;  Summer  Camjjs  for  4-II  Clubs;  St.  Nicholas.  Vol.  52,  July, 
1925.  p.  918. 


The  Period  of  Expansion  35 

tions  by  experts,  the  chance  for  play  and   fcUowshij)  chnibtless  brings 
the  greatest  of  vahie  to  the  Hves  of  rural  campers. 

Another  type  of  so-called  camp  has  sprung  uj),  tlif  "Auto-Tourist 
Camp."  hut  since  it  seems  to  be  most  frequently  a  kind  of  business 
in  competition  with  the  hotel,  we  shall  not  discuss  it  at  length.  Whether 
or  not  it  is  wielding  an  influence  upon  progressive  education,  this  kind 
of  camp  is  widely  distributed  antl  advertised  along  the  highways  and 
is  an  indication  of  the  high  degree  of  mobility  of  the  American  popu- 
lation and  of  their  penchant  for  travel.  Economy  and  freedom  from 
the  crowded,  noisy  streets  which  surround  city  hotels  may  also  account 
for  its  popularity. 

Camping  and  Public  Schools 

While  Mr.  Sargent  and  others  are  predicting  that  summer  camps 
will  eventually  be  taken  over  by  the  schools  and  be  tax-supported,^" 
it  may  be  of  interest  to  know  that  such  a  plan  was  proposed  for  boys' 
camps  as  early  as  1917.  Much  attention  was  then  being  given  to  de- 
veloping manhood  and  citizenship  because  our  nation  was  looking  to 
her  man  power  while  preparing  to  take  her  place  upon  European  battle- 
fields. That  may  have  suggested  that  if  we  could  find  so  much  to 
spend  upon  training  in  case  of  war  that  we  should  be  al)le  to  make  a 
much  larger  expenditure  on  training  our  youth  for  peaceful  citizenship. 
The  man  who  made  the  proposal  was  J.  Madison  Taylor  of  Temple 
University.  He  said :  *'My  proposition  is  that  each  state  shall  provide, 
as  part  of  its  educational  system,  vacation  camps  for  boys."-'*^ 

Explaining  his  proposal  in  detail,  he  held  the  ages  of  13,  14,  and 
15  to  be  the  desirable  years  since  these  were  the  best  years  for  "mould- 
ing plastic  youth."  He  wanted  nothing  military,  but  vacation  camps  of 
two  months  each  for  three  years  for  all  boys,  replacing  the  military 
training  found  in  so  many  European  countries.  He  aimed  at  health, 
growth,  character,  and  patriotic  citizenship,  through  competitions,  sports, 
games,  team  work,  group  spirit,  nature  study,  leadership,  knowledge  and 
skills,  and  the  turning  of  surplus  energy  toward  constructive  channels. 
He  was  most  enthusiastic  about  his  plan : 

The  vacation  camp  proposition  has  been  endorsed  as  the  best  means  in  sight 
of  providing  for  each  and  every  boy  at  the  critical  period  for  making  use  of  his 
powers — of  bringing  his  plastic  structures  to  full  fruition.  Thereby  should  even- 
tuate a  nation-wide  supply  of  super-men.  ...  To  become  a  masterful  man  the 
boy  must  have  encountered  and  overcome  difficulties  closely  allied  to  those  preva- 
lent in  pioneer  days.  ...  It  is  by  and  through  the  play  instinct,  the  primal  impulse 
to  do,  which  long  precedes  (biologically)  the  reasoning  on  why  or  wherefore  we 
do,  that  the  best,  cleanest,  most  accurate  and  most  acceptable  teaching  can  be 
impressed.'^ 


^"Sargent.  Porter;  Summer  Camps,   1931.  p.  58. 

"Taylor,  J.  Madison;  Vacation  Camps  for  all  Boys;   School  and  Society,  Vol.   5, 
June  9,   1917,  p.  680, 


36  Organized  Ca>/iping  and  Progressive  Education 

Although  he  was  thinking  in  terms  of  the  old  academic  philosophy 
of  "moulding"  boys  into  super-men  for  a  nation  of  doers  rather  than 
critical  reasoners,  his  plan  had  merit  in  it.  We  have  seen  no  attempt 
to  put  any  such  plan  into  operation  in  any  state,  but  it  represents  vision 
of  a  need  v^^hich  some  educators  have  recognized,  but  which  levv'  are 
now  attempting  to  meet. 

Nor  can  we  be  sure  that  it  would  have  been  a  good  thing  to  have 
adopted  even  a  decade  ago  the  proposal  of  making  camping  a  part  of 
state  educational  systems.  Camping  might  have  become  so  regimented 
and  hedged  about  with  standardized  procedures  that  it  would  have  been 
as  far  from  the  purposes  of  the  man  who  suggested  it  as  the  school 
system  it  was  intended  to  supplement,  and  probably  almost  as  futile. 

At  any  rate  Mr.  Taylor's  proposal  to  expand  camping  was  but  little 
more  visionary  than  that  of  a  leading  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion boys'  worker  who  wrote  of  the  Silver  Bay  Experimental  Wood- 
craft Camp  for  training  Camp  Directors  and  Counselors  in  June,  1910: 

May  we  not  look  for  the  time  when,  instead  of  having  one  boys  camp  (for 
each  Y.  M.  C.  A.),  we  shall  have  twenty,  thirty,  or  forty  boys  camps  in  a  single 
city  conducted  by  men  trained  for  the  purpose  in  our  Associations  ?  May  we  not 
even  go  further  and  predict  the  time  when  we  shall  have  not  scores  but  hundreds 
of  cam.ps  for  the  boys  of  each  of  our  larger  cities?  It  is  evident  at  a  glance  this 
can  only  come  as  men  who  are  not  camp  experts,  "professional  camp  leaders,"  if 
you  will,  turn  their  attention  to  training  volunteer  leaders  who  at  first  will  take 
Init  small  groups  of  boys  in  simple  forms  of  camping  until  they  demonstrate'  their 
ability  to  handle  larger  groups  in  more  complicated  camps.  Someone  has  said 
that  the  best  feature  about  some  of  our  larger  camps  has  been  the  small  group 
parties  which  go  off  on  side  trips  to  rough  it  in  the  real  old  fashioned  way.''^ 

Whether  this  writer  was  visionary  or  over-enthusiastic  or  whether 
there  has  been  undue  educational  lag  among  the  boys'  workers  and 
volunteers,  after  three  decades,  that  ideal  is  still  far  from  being  at- 
tained. It  is  still  rather  intriguing  to  think  of  the  possibilities  of  the 
movement  if  a  sufficient  number  of  volunteer  leaders  could  be  enlisted 
and  trained  for  the  undertaking.  Perhaps  the  Scouting  organizations 
have  made  the  greatest  progress  in  that  direction.  The  fact  is  that  as 
our  civilization  has  grown  increasingly  complex,  the  tendency  has  been 
away  from  volunteer  work  and  toward  a  leadership  of  specialists  in  all 
kinds  of  social  and  educational  work. 

The  Camp  Movement  Today 

The  best  recent  summary  of  the  point  to  which  the  summer  camp 
movement  has  grown  seems  to  have  been  given  in  an  address  at  Teach- 
ers College,  Columbia  University,  March  17,  19v'^0,  and  published  in 
Camp  Life  of  that  month.  I  shall  quote  several  paragraphs  from  Mr. 
Solomon's  address  without  an  attempt  to  verify  the  figures  used  :^* 

The  variety  of  types  of  campS  is  almost  as  great  as  the  list  of  purposes  that 
gave  these  camps  birth.     Some  camps  are  operated  solely  for  vacations,  purely 


"Robinson,  E.  M. ;  Association  Boys,  Vol.  9,  June.  1910,  p.  122. 
"Solomon,  Ben;  Camping  As  A  National  Movement;  Camp  Life,  Vol.  2,  March, 
19.30.  p.  14. 


The  Period  of  Expansion  i7 

recreational,  ntliers  are  decidedly  educative.  Tliere  are  camps  for  the  teaching  of 
one  or  more  languages,  for  cripjjled  children,  for  the  very  wealthy,  for  the  very 
poor,  for  the  underprivileged  child.  Some  camps  specialize  in  teaching  music  and 
dancing,  while  others  known  as  fresh  air  camps  are  particularly  operated  to  build 
up  undernourished  children  and  to  improve  their  health. 

In  a  general  way  we  can  chart  and  classify  the  various  tvpes  of  camps  in 
America  today.  We  have  first  the  Junior  Private  Camps— generally  owned  hy 
individuals  and  operated  for  profit.  Twenty-one  hundred  of  these  camps  care  for 
approximately  100,000  campers  and  have  staffs  totalling  30,000  specially  trained 
counselors.  You  are  quite  well  acquainted  with  this  type  of  camp.  The  largest 
number  are  boys'  camps;  then  there  are,  of  course,  girls'  camps,  and  also  about 
150  co-educational  camps,  mostly  for  very  young  children. 

The  next  big  division  we  might  call  the  semi-public  camps  :  Public  insofar  as 
they  are  financed  by  voluntary  contributions  from  the  public,  from  Community 
Chests,  or  public  funds  in  general,  but  otherwise  operated  by  private  agencies. 
This  type  of  organization  operates  2,500  camps,  cares  for  750.000  children,  and 
is  staffed  by  40.000'  counselors.  Included  in  this  class  would  be  Boy  Scouts,  Girl 
Scouts.  Camp  Fire  Girls,  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  Y.  M.  H.  A.,  Y.  W.  H.  A., 
fraternal  orders,  churches,  social  service  organizations  and  the  like.  Although  the 
number  of  these  camps  is  only  400  in  excess  of  the  private,  they  contact  nearly 
eight  times  as  many  children,  first  because  the  camps  are  generally  larger,  their 
l>er-camper  weekly  average  is  larger,  and  mostly  because  they  take  campers  for 
short  terms,  one  or  two'  weeks,  and  therefore  contact  m.any  new  children  every 
changing  week. 

Then  we  have  what  we  might  call  the  government  or  truly  public  camps; 
camps  run  by  some  division  of  the  government,  like  the  city,  the  county,  the 
state,  or  Federal  Government.  These  camps  are  largely  supported  by  public 
funds  and  sometimes  by  taxes.  They  are  staffed  and  operated  by  tax-paid  public 
officials.  We  have  about  300  municipal  camps  run  by  nearly  100  cities.  Twenty- 
five  hundred  4-H  camps  are  part  of  an  extension  program  of  the  Federal  De- 
partment of  Agriculture,  county  camps,  state  camps,  state  and  national  park 
camps,  up  to  the  sum  total  of  3,000  government  camps,  caring  for  250,000  children 
and  30.000  staff. 

Next  we  have  the  long  list  of  private  and  organization  camps  for  special 
purposes  and  there  seem  to  be  camps  for  quite  a  variety  of  purposes.  .  .  .  There 
are  over  300  such  camps  for  30,000  children  with  staffs  of  specialists  totalling 
4,500.'' 

Air.  Solomon  went  on  to  list  in  addition  to  the  above  classifications, 
the  student,  industrial,  adult  camps  with  a  total  of  over  400,000  persons , 
boys'  clubs  with  127  camps,  and  more  than  80.000  cainpers.  After 
mentioning  15,000  registered  tourist  camps  with  an  estimated  3,000,000 
camping  inotorists,  he  completed  his  figures  at  a  total  of  24,000  summer 
camps  and  about  five  million  people  who  through  them  get  some  expe- 
rience of  outdoor  life  and  some  contact  with  nature  each  summer  in 
America. 

This  movement  has  become  so  extensive  that  some  have  raised  the 
question  if  America  is  not  becoming  "camp-crazy."  It  may  be  true 
that  some  of  this  trend  toward  camping  is  an  expression  of  restless- 
ness alone,  but  there  must  be  real  and  satisfying  values  in  the  expe- 
riences themselves  else  camping  would  have  passed  as  a  fad  and  never 
lived  on  for  such  a  period  of  expansion.     Mr.  Solomon  would  classify 

''"/bid. 


38  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

these  values  quite  broadly  as:  "The  recreational,  the  physical  upbuild- 
ing, the  character  building,  the  educative  and  the  spiritual."  He  believes 
that  "in  some  way  or  other,  everyone  of  these  camps  stresses  or  at  least 
touches  upon  most  of  these  values,"  and  that  "very  often  you  can  find 
the  daily  program  so  organized  as  to  include  all  these  values."^'' 

While  generalizations  such  as  these  tend  to  become  mere  abstrac- 
tions, we  shall  in  later  chapters  attempt  to  translate  them  into  actual 
cases  of  the  experiences  of  camps,  camp  directors,  counselors  and  camp- 
ers in  actual  situations.  Enough  to  say  here  that  through  all  its  expan- 
sion the  summer  camp  movement  has  been  increasingly  recognized  as 
an  educational  force. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  SUMMER  CAMP  BECOMES  ACADEMIC 

Educationally  the  camp  can  be  virgin  soil.  But  something  more  is  needed. 
To  be  free  to  move  is  one  thing,  to  see  where  to  go  is  quite  another.  Mere  ab- 
sence of  academic  restraint  does  not  suffice.  Society  which  surrounds  and  per- 
vades the  school  can  go  also  to  the  woods.  A  camp  can  be  as  conventional  as  a 
preparatory  school.     Most  camps  too  much  reflect  the  conventional  outlook.* 

Although  camping  started  tin  fettered  by  schools,  conventions  and 
traditions,  and  was  "virgin  soil"  as  Dr.  Kilpatrick  has  said,  camps 
were  run  by  members  of  society,  and  it  was  but  natural  that  social 
conventions  should  creep  in  and  become  traditions,  even  in  the  natural 
primitive  settings  chosen  for  summer  camps.  Almost  from  the  begin- 
ning we  notice  a  struggle  between  ideas  of  primitive  simplicity  and 
those  of  stimulated  competition  and  regimentation  along  lines  formally 
fixed  in  advance  of  the  camper's  experience.  In  this  chapter  we  shall 
trace  this  tendency  through  the  statements  of  directors  and  leaders  of 
camping,  and  in  the  first  chapter  of  Part  III  it  can  be  seen  in  opera- 
tion in  a  camp  which  the  writer  observed  for  a  decade. 

Throughout  the  expansion  period  there  was  great  emphasis  on  keep- 
ing the  camper's  time  occupied  to  the  limit  and  all  kinds  of  competitive 
activities  were  introduced  with  the  greatest  variety  of  rewards  and 
awards  to  stimulate  and  maintain  interest  in  them  at  high  pitch.  Camp 
curricula  often  became  so  fixed  that  the  summer  program  was  written 
up  in  camp  booklets  and  camp  prospectuses ;  parents  became  interested 
in  selecting  the  trophies  and  other  awards  they  expected  their  boys  to 
win ;  emotional  upsets,  bitterness,  and  disappointment  sometimes  re- 
sulted from  failure  to  secure  the  coveted  tokens. 

There  was,  of  course,  great  variety  and  at  no  time  did  all  camps 
become  extreme,  either  in  rigidity  of  program  and  schedule  nor  in 
artificial  stimulants  to  activity.  Most  camps  were  greatly  enjoyed  by 
the  campers ;  for  even  if  they  did  not  afTord  the  greatest  freedom  and 
simplicity  of  living  possible,  the  worst  of  them  were  appreciated  for 
what  they  omitted — hated  books  and  lessons  of  the  schoolroom ;  they 
simply  could  not  be  so  strictly  conventionalized  as  schools. 

In  fact  the  climax  of  the  summer  in  camp  could  be  quite  thrilling 
and  leave  the  camper  with  very  pleasant  memories,  as  some  of  the 
accounts  indicate :  "When  it  comes  to  the  last  week  everyone  remains 
in  camp.  Those  are  the  big  days  of  field  and  water  sports,  with  a 
banquet  at  the  end  which  is  the  climax  of  the  summer.  It  is  then  that 
the  trophies  and  prizes  are  awarded,  including  loving  cups  for  tennis, 
walking,  physical  improvement,  nature  work,  fishing,  carpentry,  the 
all-round  good  fellow,  and  others."^ 


'Kilpatrick,  W.  H.  ;  Foreword  to  Creative  Camping  by  Joshua  Lieberman,   1931, 
p.  vi. 

'Graham.  Ralph;  Camp  Life  for  Boys;  St.  Nicholas,  Vol.  44,  May,  1917,  p.  614. 

39 


40  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

This  account  definitely  pictures  the  awarding  of  trophies  as  the 
cHmax  of  the  summer.  Another  stresses  definiteness  of  schedule  with 
plenty  of  planning  worked  out  well  in  advance  of  the  time  for  execu- 
tion. The  program  is  definitely  spoken  of  as  "training"  and  one  won- 
ders whether  it  may  have  been  recognized  that  such  regimentation  was 
a  copy  of  military  training:  "You  don't  do  things  when  you  happen 
to,  because  they  occur  to  you  and  you  feel  like  doing  them,  and  leave 
them  out  when  you  don't.  From  the  minute  the  first  bugle  blows  until 
you  drop  asleep  to  the  sound  of  'taps'  your  day  is  planned.  .  .  .  There 
were  things  we  meant  to  do,  and  the  day  was  planned  so  as  to  get  them 
all  in."3 

The  very  growth  in  size  of  camps  tended  toward  more  formal  meth- 
ods. This  was  recognized  by  Dr.  Geo.  L.  Meylan,  professor  of  Physical 
Education  at  Columbia  University,  and  first  president  of  The  Camp 
Directors'  Association  of  America  after  the  consolidation  of  that  or- 
ganization with  the  Directors  of  Girls'  Camps,  in  1924.  He  also  felt 
that  learning  by  doing  was  the  educational  feature  of  the  summer  camp ; 
that  the  camp  "deserves  a  permanent  place  in  American  education  be- 
cause of  the  large  contribution  it  is  making  in  the  development  of  stal- 
wart, upright  and  loyal  citizens"  and  that  it  should  be  extended  to  all 
boys  and  girls  as  a  part  of  their  education.  He  made  no  allowance  in 
his  camp  plans  for  any  unoccupied  leisure  time.  "The  ideal  situation," 
he  said,  "is  where  the  mode  of  life  is  reduced  to  the  simplest  plan  com- 
patible with  hygiene  and  comfort  and  where  all  work  is  done  by  camp- 
ers, each  contributing  his  share."  He  thought  the  pioneer  camps 
achieved  this,  but  that  as  they  grew  in  size  and  as  the  program  of  activ- 
ities expanded  there  was  not  time  for  such  routine  work,  and  that  only 
the  trips  out  of  camp  kept  up  this  principle. 

Dr.  Meylan  further  pointed  out  that  "The  summer  camp  has  more 
possibilities  for  social  and  moral  training  than  the  home,  church  or 
school  because  it  combines  all  the  advantages  of  these  three  agencies 
and  other  advantages  which  are  characteristic  of  camp  life ;  .  .  .  great 
variety  of  interesting  and  wholesome  activities  which  keep  campers 
occupied  and  under  supervision  every  moment  of  the  day.""* 

Another  camp  director  who  maintained  a  fairly  liberal  point  of  view 
amid  the  more  academic  and  intellectualistic  philosophies  of  the  period 
was  Mrs.  Gulick,  Director  of  Camp  Aloha,  who  in  addressing  the  Rec- 
reation Congress  at  Atlantic  City.  New  Jersey,  October  17,  1924,  set 
forth  as  basic  standards  of  camp  life:  Attainment  of  health  and  health 
habits,  character  and  good  citizenship,  joy  and  happiness  or  education 
for  the  use  of  leisure,  a  revaluing  of  the  ways  which  people  employ 
to  secure  leisure.  For  this  purpose  she  suggested  a  program  rigid 
enough  to  save  time,  yet  flexible  enough  not  to  be  irksome.  She  sug- 
gested that  although  the  day  must  be  planned  the  camper  must  learn 
to  choose  activities,  and  so  the  camper  must  ride  the  program  and  not 


'Lansing,  Marion  Florence;  Going  Into  Summer  Training;  St.  Nicholas,  Vol.  45, 
1918.  p.  829. 

*Meylan.  George  L. ;   Playground.  Vol.   18,   1924,  p.  2},1 . 


The  Siuntncr  Camp  Bccames  Academic  41 

feel  herself  a  slave  to  it.  Among  things  to  be  planned  for.  she  gave 
organized  sports  and  horsemanship  place  of  secondary  importance  com- 
pared with  food,  sleep,  rest  hour,  swimming,  woodcraft,  music,  dram- 
atics, Indian  Lore,  nature  lore,  and  handicraft;  but  she  would  balance 
the  day's  program  if  possible.  She  said,  "Self-expression  is  empha- 
sized in  craft-work  in  camps  as  against  team  expression  in  organized 
sports,  and  I  believe  each  is  entitled  to  a  part  of  each  day's  program." 

She  also  mentioned  "many  happy  contests"  and  described  "the  camp 
"  chart  of  achievement."  But  she  saw  a  relationship  between  education 
and  living :  "This  delightful  form  of  education  must  bring  to  every 
camp  director  satisfaction  far  beyond  any  possible  material  reward. 
The  camp  girl  may  hardly  see  why  her  glorious  camp  summer  is  called 
a  period  of  education.  Isn't  this  because  living  and  education  are  one 
in  camp  life,  while  the  average  school  girl  finds  it  hard  to  connect  her 
daily  school  work  with  practical  everyday  living?  May  not  the  camp 
movement  in  some  degree  help  to  connect  the  education  in  schools  with 
everyday  living  for  the  practical  youthful  mind  ?""'  Mrs.  Gulick's  ad- 
dress showed  that  she  held  a  very  liberal  point  of  view;  while  adhering 
to  contests,  awards,  and  definitely  planned  programs,  she  realized  that 
room  must  be  left  for  girls  to  make  choices,  and  that  adventure  and 
self-expression  must  be  provided  for  in  the  planning. 

Speaking  before  the  same  session  of  the  Recreation  Congress  which 
Mrs.  Gulick  addressed,  L.  L.  McDonald,  director  of  the  Department 
of  Camping  of  the  Boy  Scouts  of  America,  said : 

The  rapid  growth  in  camping  for  boys  has  been  made  possible  because  camp 
directors  have  had  the  courage  to  make  their  own  programs'  to  suit  the  desires  as 
well  as  the  needs  of  the  boys.  There  is  no  compulsory  law  which  recjuires  boys 
to  go  camping.  Enrollment  depends  entirely  upon  satisfied  customers.  For  this 
reason  camps  of  the  early  days  when  the  principal  appeal  was  that  "they  keep 
boys  off  the  streets,"  and  that  the  extraordinary  hardships  offered  by  these  poorly 
manned  and  poorly  equipped  camps  helped  to  work  off  "surplus  energy"  of  boys, 
are  forever  things  of  the  past.  In  the  light  of  present  day  experience  in  camps 
carefully  planned  to  produce  positive  rather  than  negative  results,  such  camps 
have  no  place.  .  .  .  Program-making  in  its  main  essentia.ls  must  be  done  far  in 
advance  of  the  opening  dates  of  the  camp,  since  selection  of  leadership,  supplies 
and  means  of  advertising  are  based  on  what  campers  are  expected  to  do.  Daily 
routine  may  be  announced  to  the  boys  on  the  day  of  arrival.* 

It  would  seem  that  this  calls  for  a  much  more  rigidly  formulated 
program  than  was  contemplated  by  Mrs.  Gulick.  An  editorial  para- 
graph in  School  Life.  Oct.,  1926,  also  presupposes  some  definiteness  of 
schedule,  yet  with  careful  balancing  of  the  elements  in  the  camping 
curriculum : 

From  the  very  beginning,  the  summer  camp  proved  an  excellent  means  not 
only  for  furnishing  wholesome  recreation,  but  also  for  providing  educational  work 
for  children.  The  success  of  this  work  is  largely  attributed  to  the  fact  that]  the 
method  of  organization  or  management  includes  a  well  balanced  schedule  of  work 


•'Gulick.  Mrs.  E.  L.  ;  Program  Making  for  Girls'  Camps;  Playground,  Vol.  19, 
p.  85. 

'McDonald,  L.  L. :  Program  Making  in  Camps  for  Boys;  Playground,  Vol.  19. 
p.  89. 


42  Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

and  play.  Each  camper  must  assume  some  responsibility  and  contribute  some- 
thing toward  maintaining  the  camp.' 

These  latter  statements,  however,  represent  the  thinking  of  leaders  in 
the  camp  and  educational  movements  after  the  tide  was  already  begin- 
ning to  turn;  after  the  period  of  research  and  critical  analysis  of  camp 
procedures  was  on  its  way,  and  after  experiments  were  beginning  to 
show  that  stereotyped  procedures  were  probably  destructive  of  the  high- 
est values  of  camping. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  trace  the  beginnings  and  growth  of  the  use 
of  artificial  and  extrinsic  incentives  to  camp  activities  as  well  as  con- 
ventionalized regulations  for  camp  life.  We  have  previously  noted*^ 
that  prizes  were  given  in  even  the  earliest  of  the  pioneer  camps.  They 
seem  to  have  been  common  to  the  schools  of  that  day,  and  to  have  been 
taken  along  to  camp  as  a  matter  of  fact.  But  there  were  not  whole 
systems  worked  out  whereby  all  of  camp  life  was  subject  to  control 
by  this  means.  They  were  more  or  less  incidental  to  certain  contests 
and  competitions. 

One  of  the  early  systems  came  in  with  the  Woodcraft  Indians.  Cer- 
tain ranks  were  to  be  attained  and  recognitions  given  when  a  certain 
number  of  achievements  were  completed.  The  scheme  was  planned  in 
imitation  of  the  ways  of  recognizing  achievement  in  primitive  tribes. 
While  in  primitive  tribes  no  list  of  achievements  for  recognition  was 
printed  and  kept  before  the  group  for  selection,  boys  learned  readily 
by  what  means  stattis  could  be  attained.  With  definite  measures  of 
achievement  printed  it  became  possible  to  treat  them  not  so  much  as 
a  way  to  recognize  achievement  in  the  ordinary  course  of  living,  as  in 
the  primitive  tribe,  but  as  tests  to  be  passed  by  anyone  ambitious  to 
rise  in  rank.  They  might  also  easily  be  used  to  stimulate  activity  which 
would  not  otherwise  be  desired  or  undertaken. 

When  the  Boy  Scout  Movement  took  over  such  a  scheme  and  com- 
bined it  with  an  honor  plan  suggested  in  part  by  the  founder's  military 
experience,  a  system  was  developed  which,  while  not  military,  had 
many  elements  which  were  capable  of  being  treated  almost  as  rigidly. 
It  was  in  some  ways  comparable  to  the  graded  .school  system  in  that 
one  must  memorize  the  materials,  perhaps  demonstrate  a  practical 
knowledge  of  them,  and  at  any  rate,  pass  the  tests  or  examinations  be- 
fore being  promoted  to  a  higher  rank.  The  philosophy  underlying  it 
was  largely  that  of  turning  boys  into  citizens  by  a  form  of  training, 
just  as  young  men  are  turned  into  soldiers  by  military  training.  In 
either  case  stereotyped  individuals  may  result. 

Scouting  received  this  mould  from  the  conventionalized  society  of 
the  day,  and  in  turn  through  its  spread,  publicity,  and  popularity,  be- 
came one  of  the  chief  agencies  for  formalizing  camping  and  work  with 
boys.  There  was,  of  course,  some  room  to  adapt  the  program  to  the 
growing  boy.  He  was  expected  to  "learn  by  doing,"  but  most  of  what 
he  was  to  do  was  prescribed  for  him.     Uniform,  insignia,  badges  of 


'School  Life,  Vol.   12,  Octobt-r.    1926.  p. 
'See  Chapter  I. 


The  Summer  Camp  Becames  Academic  43 

rank,  and  of  achievement  were  means  of  recognizing  growth,  but  mis- 
used and  overemphasized  they  became  a  standardized  award  system. 
Intending  to  stimulate  a  boy  to  compete  with  his  own  record,  they 
seemed  different  from  cups  and  prizes  where  only  one  boy  in  a  group 
could  win,  but  by  counting  the  number  of  merit  badges  each  boy  held. 
a  way  was  found  for  competition  with  each  other.  The  real  assumption 
was  that  a  set  of  activities  had  been  found  which  would  be  g(X)d  for 
all  boys,  and  carrying  on  these  activities  became  the  goal  with  the  belief 
that  if  a  boy  did  all  these  things  the  results  in  his  life  must  be  good 
citizenship  and  character. 

The  following  paragraph,  written  as  a  compliment  to  the  system 
showed  the  way  certain  features  were  often  overemphasized  and  made 
itj  ridiculous : 

Promptly  at  twelve,  Assembly  sounded  and  the  camp  officers  went  the  rounds 
of  the  tents,  where  Scouts  stood  rigid  at  attention  beside  their  cots.  If  their 
mothers  could  only  have  seen  them !  Talk  about  neat  housekeeping !  We  didn't 
see  a  thing  that  could  be  criticized,  but  the  Camp  Master  pointed  out  uneven 
blanket  rolls,  frayedj  tent  ropes,  bits  of  string  on  the  ground,  and  other  offensive 
items. 

"Tent  F  wins  the  flag  today,"  he  announced.  A  wild  yell  from  the  inhabitants 
of  Tent  F  and  groans  from  the  rest.  "What's  the  matter  with  E?"  inquired  a 
tent  leader.  "There  were  three  grains  of  sand  on  one  of  your  cots,"  was  the 
prompt  reply,  and  the  tent  leader  was  silenced.* 

We  have  already  noted  how  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Workers  welcomed,  pro- 
moted and  spread  the  Woodcraft  and  Boy  Scout  programs.^*'  These 
came  at  a  time  when  Boys'  Departments  were  being  flooded  and  the 
Boys'  Secretaries  were  looking  for  some  way  to  organize  the  masses 
into  smaller  groups  and  to  train  them  under  volunteer  group  leaders. 
Scouting  seemed  to  fill  the  need,  so  was  seized  upon,  promoted  widely, 
taken  to  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Boys'  Department  camps,  and  made  the  basis  of 
camp  program  and  organization.  Mr.  H.  W.  Gibson  described  in  1909 
how  this  plan  worked  out  at  Camps  Durell  and  Becket.  Using  a  modi- 
fied form  of  English  Scouting — for  the  American  movement  was  not 
then  organized — he  had  scout  tests  worked  out  on  a  point  system ;  each 
part  counting  so  many  points  toward  the  camp  honor  emblem.  The 
subjects  included  in  scoutcraft  were :  discipline,  observation,  woodcraft, 
health,  chivalry,  lifesaving,  and  patriotism.  The  Scout  code  adaoted 
for  use  in  the  camp  included  eight  laws  \  seven  of  them  were  simTlar 
to  the  present  Scout  I^aws  which  declare  a  Scout  to  be  trustworthy, 
loyal,  helpful,  courteous,  kind,  obedient,  cheerful,  and  the  eighth  one 
was  as  follows :  "A  Scout's  chief  business  is  character  making" ;  which 
is  explained  to  mean  that  "A  Scout  believes  that  Bible  Study  and  at- 
tendance upon  religious  services  will  help  him  to  develop  a  manly,  sturdy 
and  unselfish  character.  He  will  be  clean  in  his  thoughts  and  actions. 
He  will  make  an  honest  effort  to  try  hard  to  do  what  he  thinks  God 


*Boy  Scouts  in  Camp;  American  Youth,  Vol.  XIX,  No.  4,  April.  1920. 
"Chapter  II. 


44.  Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

would  have  him  do."^^  The  only  way  to  make  clear  how  complete  a 
system  this  was  for  regulating  a  boy's  life  in  camp — provided  he  desired 
an  honor  emblem — is  to  give  below  the  set  of  "Tests  for  winning  the 
Honor  Emblem." 

DISCIPLINE: 

1.  Doing  camp  duty  promptly,  efficiently  and  cheerfully.     (5  points.) 

2.  Participating  promptly  in  preparing  tents,  baggage  and  beds  for  inspec- 
tion.    (4  points.) 

3.  Loyalty  to  captain  in  all  games.     (5  points.) 

OBSERVATION: 

1.  Observe  the  ways  of  birds,  animals  and  people  and  jot  down  a  sketch  of  them 
in  a  notebook.     (3  points.) 

2.  Take  a  walk  and  upon  return  to  camp  write  upon  the  following  six  sub- 
jects :     (3  points.) 

a.  Nature  of  by-ways  or  paths. 

b.  Different  kind  of  trees  you  noticed. 

c.  People  you  met. 

d.  Peculiar  smells  of  plants. 

e.  Kind  of  fences  you  saw. 

f.  Sounds  you  heard. 

3.  Observe  sanitary  and  hygienic  disorder  and  correct  same.     (5  points.) 

4.  After  reading  aloud  a  story  write  an  account  of  it.      (3  points.) 

WOODCRAFT: 

L  Observe  the  tracks  of  birds  and  animals  and  distinguish  them.     (2  pnints.) 

2.  Identify  fifteen  birds,  or  fifteen  trees,  or  fifteen  flowers,  or  fifteen  min- 
erals.    (2  points.) 

3.  Tie  a  square  knot,  a  weaver's  knot,  a  slip  knot,  a  flemish  coop,  a  bowline, 
half,  clove,  boom  and  timber  hitches,  stevedore  and  wall  end  knots,  blackwall 
and  catspaw  turn  hitch  and  hood  hitches.     (2  points.) 

4.  Make  a  "star"  fire  and  cook  a  meal  upon  it  for  the  boys  of  your  tent. 
(3  points.) 

5.  Find  the  South  at  any  time  of  day  with  the  aid  of  a  watch.     (1   point.) 

6.  Estimate  the  distance  across  water.      (1  point.) 

7.  Judge  the  time  of  day  by  the  sun.      (1  point.) 

8.  Read  the  signs  of  the  weather  by  the  sun.  wind  and  clouds.     (2  points.) 

9.  Make  something  useful  for  camp.     (5  points.) 

HEALTH: 

1.  Promptness,  erect  carriage  and  earnestness  in  setting  up  drill.      (3  points.) 

2.  Gain  made  in  physical  development  during  time  in  camp.     (2  points.) 

3.  Essay  upon  the  campfire  talks  on  "Personal  Hygiene."     (3  points.) 

4.  Care  of  tent,  clothing  and  baggage,  in  dry  and  wet  weather.     (3  points.) 

5.  Cleanliness  of  person.     (3  points.) 

6.  Proper  eating  at  meals.     (5  points.) 

7.  Win  first  place  in  athletic  or  aquatic  events.     (2  points.) 

CHIVALRY : 

\.  Do  a  good  turn  to  somebody  everyday.     (3  points.) 

2.  Control  tongue  and  temper.     (5  points.) 

3.  Participate  in  some  entertainment.     (2  points.) 

4.  Secure  the  approval  of  the  leaders.     (2  points.) 

5.  Promptness  in  attending  chapel  services.     (2  points.) 


"Gibson,    H.    W.;    Scoutcraft    at    Camps    Durtll    and    Hecket.    Association    Boys, 
Vol.  VII,  December,  1909.  p.  315. 


The  Summer  Camp  Becomes  Academic  45 

SAVING  LIFE: 

1.  Be  able  to  swim  fifty  yards  and  return  without  stopping.     (1   point.) 

2.  Pass  the  examinations  in  Life  Saving  and  First  Aid  Work,  hy  written  and 
demonstration  work.      (5  points.) 

3.  Row  from  wharf  to  a  given  point  and  back  in  a  given  time.     (1  point.) 

PATRIOTISM  : 

L  Respect  for  the  United  States  Flag  at  raising  and  colors.     (5  points.) 

2.  Memorize  "America"  and  "Star  Spangled  Banner."     (1  point.) 

3.  Write  an  essay   explaining  the   plan   of   governing   your   own   town   or   city. 
(2  points.) 

4.  Write  in  your  own  words  what  you  think  citizenship  means.     (2  points.) 

5.  Describe   upon   paper   some   historic   spot   or   building   near    your   home   and 
its  connection  with  the  making  of  America.     (1  point.) 

Note :  Each  boy  must  win  90  points  out  of  a  possible  100  to  secure  the  Honor 
Emblem.  Leaders  (Counselors)  will  be  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  different 
tests,  to  whom  the  boys  will  report  when  they  qualify  in  the  tests  and  receive  their 
points.  The  final  decision  in  thel  giving  of  the  Honor  Emblem  is  made  at  a  full 
meeting  of  the  Camp  Council." 

Here  we  have  an  intellectualized  curriculuni  which  allows  only  ten 
per  cent  of  electives  if  a  boy  would  attain  the  goal  set  up  for  him.  Cer- 
tainly a  boy  was  not  compelled  to  get  an  honor  emblem,  but  his  feel- 
ing of  success  and  approval  must  have  largely  depended  upon  such 
attainment.  This  program  was  worked  out  and  used  by  one  of  the  very 
best  and  most  active  camp  directors  of  the  period,  so  the  practice  was 
doubtless  quite  widespread.  Honor  emblem  systems  were  not  new  at 
this  tiine,  but  that  one  may  see  how  much  Emblem  Requirements  in- 
creased in  detail  with  the  advent  of  scouting  we  quote  below  the  com- 
paratively simple  requirements  for  the  honor  emblem  at  Camp  Dudlev 
in  1905: 

The  big  "D"  can  only  be  won  by  fulfilling  certain  requirements  that  prove  the 
camper  a  full-fledged  Dudleyite.  The  requirements  are  as  follows:  (1)  Ability 
to  swim  fifty  yards;  (2)  winning  a  place  m  an  athletic  contest;  (3)  rowing  to  the 
Vermont  shore  and  back;  (4)  climbing  a  mountain  and  sleeping  out  all  night; 
(5)  ability  to  make  a  shelter  and  fireplace  and  cook  a  simple  meal;  (6)  making 
something  worthwhile;  (7)  doing  something  of  value  that  will  contribute  to  the 
efficient  equipment  of  the  camp;  (8)  catching  and  taming  a  chipmunk,  or  taking 
a  good  picture  of  a  wild  animal,  or  identifying  twenty  birds  and  twenty  trees; 
(9)  singing  a  song,  telling  a  story,  or  dancing  a  jig;  and  (10)  meeting!  the  ap- 
proval of  the  leaders  as  a  worthy  representative  of  the  camp." 

Most  of  the  above  requirements  could  naturally  be  done  in  a  camp- 
ing situation  and  are  less  academic  since  they  would  normally  be  at- 
tained in  the  process  of  living  in  camp.  Taking  walks  for  the  purpose 
of  writing  essays  on  them,  at  least,  was  not  expected.  Once  this  method 
of  organizing  a  boy's  time  in  camp  by  emblem  requirements  was  started 
it  became  more  and  more  elaborate  until  in  manv  camps  his  whole  course 
in  camp  was  mapped  and  charted  for  him — every  hour  of  every  day-— 
long  before  he  came  to  camp,  little  consideration  being  given  to  indi- 
vidual differences  of  boys  in  background,  capacities,  experience  or  per- 
sonality adjustment. 


'■'Kaighn,  R.  P.;  Camp  Dudley;  Association  Boys.  Vol.  V,  p.    121. 


46  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

There  were  several  reasons  why  this  formaHzation  took  place.  It 
wa^  a  time  when  mass  education  was  being  urged  and  when  laws  were 
rapidly  being  passed  by  State  Legislatures.  Directors  of  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
and  Boy  Scout  Camps  had  to  deal  with  large  numbers  of  boys  in  short 
periods  of  time.  They  could  scarcely  hope  to  know  well  individual  boys 
or  to  recognize,  but  superficially,  individual  needs.  In  ten  days  or  two 
weeks  at  most  the  boys  now  in  camp  would  be  gone  and  they  would 
have  another  group  on  their  hands.  It  is  little  wonder  that  they  wel- 
comed ready-made  programs  to  make  it  easier  to  carry  on  the  great 
enterprise. 

The  test  of  the  plan  in  those  days  was  very  simple:  It  works.  Here 
is  the  report  of  one  of  these  directors  who  said  definitely  that  it  simpli- 
fied and  made  easier  the  administration  of  camp  to  have  this  formalized 
program  and  a  point  system  of  discipline  and  control,  so  he  wanted  to 
pass  it  on. 

The  following  plan  has  worked  so  splendidly  in  two  sections  of  our  camp 
that  it  is  passed  on  with  the  hope  that  it  may  help  some  poor  duffer  who  is 
struggling  with  his  first  camp  and  save  him  hours  of  worry  and  bales  of  bald  hairs. 
We  have  four  tribes,  each  limited  to  ten  in  number.  Thesq  would  correspond 
to  tent  groups  in  the  ordinary  camp.  Each  tribe  has  a  leader  who  does  not  enter 
into  competition  except  in  special  events.  Each  tribe  has  a  chief.  The  four  chiefs 
are  selected  before  the  tribes  are  chosen  and  care  is  used  in  seeing  that  the  groups 
are  evenly  divided.  Then  we  introduce  the  plan  of  winning  camp  honors.  The 
award  is  a  ribbon  similar  to  those  used  in  athletic  meets.  The  way  in  which  a 
camper  wins  honors  is  as  follows : 

He  must  have  225  points  to  his  credit.  He  may  earn  twenty  points  daily  as 
follows :  Five  points  for  punctuality  at  breakfast,  dinner,  supper,  flag  raising 
and  evening  devotion ;  five  points  for  neatness  in  keeping  the  tents ;  ten  points  for 
deportment,  general  behavior  and  observance  of  all  camp  rules.  In  addition  to 
the  two  hundred  points  which  he  may  win  in  ten  days,  he  must  win  twenty-five 
points  ir^  open  competition.     This  is  the  individual  part  of  the  plan. 

In  the  tribal  or  group  part  of  the  plan  each  tribe  is  credited  each  day  with  all 
the  points  won  by  the  individual  members  of  it.  A  perfect  or  clean  record  for 
every  member  of  the  tribe  means  200  points  daily.  Of  course,  if  any  boy  loses 
points,  his  tribe  must  lose  also,  and  right  here  is  where  the  thing  is  self-operative. 
Each  member  of  the  tribe  is  on  his  good  behavior  and  he  sees  that  the  others 
keep  up  the  records  also.  Each  boy  watches  himself  and  has  nine  others  of  his 
tribe  to  help  him  watch.     It  works  as  well  as  you  please. 

Aside  from  the  honors  there  is  a  treat  in  store  for  the  winning  tribe ;  usually 
watermelons  for  first  and  second  place  and  peanuts  for  third  and  fourth.  In  the 
competition,  we  have  fifteen  events,  such  as  relay  races  by  members  of  the  re- 
spective tribes,  relay  jumps  and  obstacle  races  similarly  arranged.  Tree  climbing 
is  individual.  Swimming  relay  is  also  by  teams  chosen  frorri  the  tribes,  and  boat 
races,  quoits,  fishing,  throwing  the  stone,  the  shoot  the  chutes,  baseball,  potato 
races,  each  arranged  for  the  entire  tribe  or  teams  chosen  from  the  tribes. 

To  win  first  honors  means  fifty  points  for  the  tribe  and  five  points  to  each  of 
the  individual  winners;  similarly  second  place  awards  thirty  points  to  the  team 
and  three  points  to  the  winners ;  third  place  twenty  and  two ;  fourth  place  ten  and 
one.  The  camper  works  not  only  for  individual  and  tribal  honors  at  the  same 
time,  but  he  is  constantly  spurred  on  by  the  other  members  of  his  tribe.  It  has 
proven  the  most  self-operative  plan  I  have  ever  used. 

At  the  evening  "pow-wow,"  the  daily  score  is  announced,  or  rather,  the  points 
lost  are  announced  and  every  man  given  a  chance  to  defend  himself.  Often  a  vote 
is  taken  to  decide  if  "extenuating  circumstances"  frequently  brought  up  are  suf- 


The  Summer  Camf  Becomes  Academic  47 

ficient  to  excuse  the  boy  for  the  oflfense.  It  is  surprising  to  find  witli  what 
jealousy  a  brave  defends  his  "clean  record."  Real  tears  have  been  shed  .several 
times  when  points  were  lost. 

I  wanted  to  give  the  thing  a  test,  so  marked  up  all  the  points  the  day  before 
closing  the  first  section  of  our  camp,  only  telling  the  boys  that  the  same  rules 
would  hold  good  for  the  day.  I  was  delighted  to  find  ttu-  had  more  disorder  in 
that  day  than  ive  had  in  the  nine  days  previous.     (Italics  ours.) 

It  is  interesting  to  stand  off  and  watch  the  thing  work.  I  heard  one  fellow 
say,  "well,  when  a  fellow  forgets,  he  can't  help  it."  The  other  was  arguing  that 
"forgets"  were  no  excuse  and  would  not  go.  The  fellows  arranged  the  time  for 
all  events  and)  decided  all  rules  regarding  care  of  boats,  and  such  things.  It  is 
interesting  to  see  them  "get  busy"  when  a  member  is  about  to  be  late  or  looks 
as  if  he  is  about  to  break  over  any  of  the  restrictions.  "Everybody  works  but 
father."" 

We  may  readily  agree  that  "It  works";  it  is  a  good  "Machine" — 
you  can  even  "stand  off  and  watch  it  work,"  so  automatic  is  it  when 
once  started  going.  But  what  is  it  doing  to  the  boys?  The  best  thing 
we  can  say  for  it  is  that  it  did  provide  for  some  teamwork — for  some 
group  spirit  and  solidarity,  but  even  this  was  not  on  a  natural  basis 
but  forced  by  the  artificial  situation  set  up.  Even  if  it  did  work  and 
save  the  camp  staff  from  being  worried  with  "disorder"  we  can  see  that 
campers  had  not  really  learned  to  be  orderly  during  their  nine  days  of 
restraint,  for  when  the  pressure  was  relieved  there  was  plenty  of  dis- 
order. Mr.  Crackel  proved  too  much  with  that  statement,  which  the 
author  has  italicized. 

Here  was  a  camp  director  who  felt  that  he  had  discovered  some- 
thing which  he  wished  to  pass  on  to  his  fellow  workers;  many  of  them 
were  glad  to  get  it  and  proceeded  to  put  much  of  it  into  practice  at 
once.  Whether  they  knew  any  psychology  or  not,  most  boys'  workers 
had  accented  the  dictum  that  "Boys  learn  by  doing."  What  a  blow 
was  to  fall  when  they  began  to  hear  from  educators  that  a  boy  can 
develop  character  only  as  "he  chooses  what  he  does." 

Camp  directors  seem  to  have  accepted  this  plan  of  points  and  awards 
because  it  served  as  an  easy  means  of  control  and  of  keeping  the  camp- 
ers busily  occupied.  It  had  not  occurred  to  them  that  there  might  be 
some  better  way  to  do  it.  Although  this  procedure  was,  probably,  not 
so  universally  practiced  by  private  camps  as  by  organization  camps, 
most  of  them  had  a  rather  completely  worked  out  .system  for  competi- 
tions and  honors. 

In  "Camping  and  Character"  we  see  how  the  award  system  grew 
at  Camp  Ahmek : 

During  the  first  three  seasons  of  camp  a  system  of  daily  tent  competition  was 
in  vogue.  Groups  were  scored  on  promptness  in  getting  up  in  the  morning,  morn- 
ing dip,  punctuality  at  meals,  attendance  at  instructions,  attendance  at  general 
swim,  tent  tidiness,  table  etiquette,  posture,  camp  spirit  and  contributions  to  the 
life  of  the  camp.  Small  leather  "medals"  bearing  the  Ahmek  crest,  and  later, 
wild  geese  feathers  provided  specially  by  Jack  Miner  were  distributed  each  day  to 
the  winning  group.  A  tradition  gradually  built  up  and  soon  the  daily  tent  com- 
petition became  a  recognized  institution  within  the  camp. 

"Crackel.  M.  D. ;  Self-Operative  Discipline;  Association  Boys.  Vol.  VIII,  Iiine. 
1909,  p.   119. 


48  Orga>i'ized  Carnpi/ig  and  Progressive  Education 

Many  feathei's  were  lost.  The  use  of  leather  awards  was  continually  extended. 
Points  began  to  be  given  for  almost  anything  and  everything.  The  bookkeeping 
alone  became  an  enormous  task  and  the  inevitable  occurred.  The  original  value  at- 
tached to  these  symbols  of  recognition  slowly  wore  off,  and  the  daily  tent  compe- 
tition suffered  a  marked  set-back.  The  following  year  cups  were  introduced. 
Before  many  weeks  had  passed  it  seemed  that  every  parent  who  visited  the  camp 
wanted  to  donate  a  cup  or  shield  or  medal  to  the  cause.  It  became  totally  absurd. 
There  were  mornings  when  fully  twenty  minutes  were  taken  up  in  distributing 
the  silverware.  A  table  that  did  not  display  at  least  one  cup  for  proficiency  in 
something  was  counted  as  singularly  hopeless  or  strangely  indifferent. 

When  the  camp  ran  out  of  ideas)  for  group  competitions  about  the  only  move 
left  was  to  award  trophies  to  individual  campers.  This  led  to  prizes  for  winning 
entrants  in  regattas,  field  meets,  the  Council  Ring  Contests,  for  the  best  sailor,  for 
the  boy  who  won  the  greatest  number  of  bars  during  the  season,  for  the  camper 
showing  the  greatest  amount  of  camp  spirit,  and  so  on.  Awarding  had  become  a 
habit. 

A  particularly  attractive  feature  introduced  the  second  season  as  a  part  of  the 
formal  activity  curriculum  was  the  beautiful  Ahmek  shield  and  bars  for  pro- 
ficiency in  the  various  instructional  activities.  At  Christmas  each  year  new 
campers  receive  their  shield  bearing  their  name  under  the  Ahmek  Crest.  Bars 
which  they  have  won  during  their  first  season  in  camp  ar^  mounted  on  the  shield. 
Bars  won  subsequently  can  be  added.  This  system  had  a  tremendous  vogue  the 
first  year  it  was  introduced.  Literally  thousands  of  bars  were  awarded.  Boys 
talked  about  the  Ahm.ek  Shield  and  Bars  long  before  they  ever  came  to  camp.  A 
tradition  of  considerable  consequence  was  developed.  In  fact  so  enthusiastic  were 
many  campers  to  win  bars  thaC  they  would  actually  cancel  canoe  trips,  hikes  and 
other  major  camp  activities  in  order  to  stay  working  uninterrupted  on  their  bar 
requirements.^^ 

Even  though  this  statement  was  written  after  the  tide  was  already 
beginnin<^  to  turn  away  from  formalization  of  program  and  search  was 
being  made  for  a  better  way  and  for  that  reason  it  may  seem  to  hold 
the  system  up  for  a  bit  of  ridicule,  it  is  on  the  whole  fair  and  a  good 
picture  of  what  went  on  in  many  of  the  best  camps.  In  fact,  the  story 
of  control  by  extrinsic  incentives  could  be  duplicated  in  hundreds  of 
cases  in  more  or  less  extreme  and  elaborate  degree.  Competition  be- 
tween camps  for  enrollment  was  being  felt  by  1915  to  1920  and  the 
things  a  camper  had  won  to  show  for  his  summer  in  camp  tended  to 
create  a  desire  in  other  boys  to  go  and  to  acquire  some  of  these  trophies 
of  achievement.  They  proved  a  means  of  publicity  to  the  camp  and  in 
the  midst  of  the  competition  seemed  necessary  to  the  directors. 

The  definiteness  of  program  developed  by  the  Bov  Scouts,  with  their 
ranks,  badges,  tests,  and  honor  system  has  been  mentioned.  When  this 
movement  was  nationalized  and  much  of  their  material  no  longer  open 
to  use  by  groups  who  were  not  registered  as  Scouts,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Boys' 
Workers  were  faced  with  the  necessity  of  developing  a  boys'  program 
which  would  be  adaptable  to  the  many  uses  of  their  organization  deal- 
ing, with  a  wide  variety  of  boy  life.  They  were  influenced  by  Scouting 
and  the  trend  of  the  times,  so  adopted  an  honor  emblem  award  system 
with  a  wide  variety  of  choices  of  things  to  be  done  in  order  to  win  the 
points.     This  was  changed  and  modified  by  difTerent  groups  for  a  few 

'-Dimock  and  Hendry;  Camping  and  Cliaracter  ;  Association  Pre.'^s,  N.  Y.,  1929. 
p.  96. 


Tilt-  Suinnicr  Camp  Btcoincs  .Ladnn'ic  49 

years  and  was  then  published  in  the  form  of  handljooks  tor  hoys  and 
manuals  for  leaders.  The  material  thus  made  available  to  any  j^rouj) 
desiring  to  use  it  or  to  adapt  it  for  use  with  their  groups  and  was  not 
only  used  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  but  by  many  churches  for  their  boys' 
Sunday  School  classes.  The  Christian  Citizenship  Training  Program, 
as  it  came  to  be  called,  was  divided  into  two  sections:  One  for  older 
boys  was  called  "Comrades,"  and  that  for  the  younger  boys,  the  "Pio- 
neer" program.  Forms  of  this  "C.  C.  T.  P."  were  soon  adapted  for 
use  in  most  all  Y.  M.  C.  A.  campsi  and  had  a  wide  influence  in  the  whole 
camping  movement.  A  big  part  of  the  work  of  formalizing  camps  came 
to  a  climax  with  this  program  material  from  1920  to  1925. 

A  camp  director  described  the  program  as  used  in  camp  in  1921  : 
^  For  three  years  all  the  activities  of  this  camp  have  centered  about  a  four-fold 
"Efficiency  Test,"  based  upon  the  American  Standard  Program  for  Boys  (now 
the  C.  C.  T.  P.).  When  a  boy  finished  the  required  number  of  credits  he  was 
awarded  a  Nissokone  Emblem  for  his  sweater,  and  should  he  be  able  to  win  more 
points  than  any  of  his  fellow  campers,  he  received  the  "Efficiency  Test"  cup  which 
he  held  for  a  year.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  program  was  revised  from  season 
to  season,  there  was  generally  some  ambitious  boy  who  was  able  to  work  through 
the  entire  test  before  the  close  of  camp.  Should  two  boys  accomplish  this,  as  was 
the  case  in  1919,  the  camp  director  faced  the  task  of  either  furnishing  additional 
tests  or  deciding  the  cup  winner  in  some  other  manner.  The  director  felt  the  need 
for  a  program  of  such  magnitude  that  no  one  camper  could  complete  it  in  a 
season  and  so  comprehensive  that  a  boy  would  have  the  widest  range  in  his'  choices. 
Then  came  the  C.  C.  T.  P. 

The  Christian  Citizenship  Training  Program  is  a  graded  program  for  both 
older  and  younger  boys,  representing  the  work  of  many  skilled  workers  with  boys 
through  the  years.  The  rec|uirements  of  the  program  are  divided  into  intellectual, 
physical,  devotional  and  service.  Games,  practical  talks,  athletics,  Bible  Study, 
life  work  discussion  and  opportunities  for  service  aU  challenge  the  boy  to  a  well 
rounded  boyhood  and  preparation  for  a  wholesome  four-square  manhood. 

Perhaps  here  was  the  answer.  The  C.  C.  T.  P.  was  thoroughly  analyzed  ;  the 
eight  headings  under  each  of  the  four  sections  were  retained  as  the  skeleton  out- 
line of  the  new  camp  program ;  every  activity  suggested  in  the  "Handbook"  was 
carefully  assayed  as  to  its  value  in  camp  and  if  suitable  was  placed  under  its  proper 
heading ;  the  Required  Tests  of  the  C.  C.  T.  P.  after  slight  revision  became  the 
test  for  the  short  term  camper  and  the  Elective  Tests  made  up  the  program  of  the 
boy  who  was  privileged  to  remain  longer.  ,0f  course  the  "Efficiency  Tests"  of 
former  years  included  many  time-testfd  activ'ti^si  irdigenouS  to  Camp  -Nirsokone 
which  could  not  well  be  omitted.  ■  '     -  '   '  ^  ,  '  , ,     ' ,  W  .'''\  '.  / '  \\'' . 

Furthermore  to  accentuate  the  outdoor  features,  ad(litional  suggestions  for  the 
woodcraft  and  nature  study  work  were  taken  from  the  manual  of  the  Woodcraft 
League.  .  .  . 

In  appearance  the  final  draft  of  <hn  nt^w  "Eff cieijcy  ^Te$t"  Uas  very  similar  to 
thd  C.  C.  T.  P.  There  were  thirty-two  Heidingsrl.  '.  V  The'tedfi^  for  the  older 
boys'  and  younger  boys'  sections  were  typewritten,'  bouri'd  separately  in  manilla 
covers,  and  issued  to  the  campers. 

When  the  boy  arrived  in  camp  he  was  immediately  interviewed  by  the  leader. 
He  was  given  a  blank  Credit  Card  and  instructed  lo  copy  the  Test  headings  and 
to  report  later  for  "Charting."  Writing  in  the  headings  for  himself  necessarily 
acquainted  him  with  the  requirements  of  the  Test,  gave  him  a  bird's  eye  view  of 
the  varied  activities  at  camp,  made  him  realize  that  Nissokone  was  to  mean 
something  more  than  mere  hiking,  baseball  and  swimming.  Then,  came  the  chart- 
ing: the  personal  talk  with  the  boy  regarding  his  standing  with  reference  to  the 
program;   the  drawing  of  his  "picture"  upon  the  regular  C.   C.   T.   P.   charting 


50  Organized  Camfing  arid  Progressive  Education 

card;  the  awarding  of  such  credits  as  he  could  win  (from  past  achievement) 
without  further  preparation  ;  and  advice  to  begin  at  once  to  bring  up  his  deficien- 
cies, to  get  in  the  game  and  to  play  it  hard. 

.  .  .  For  the  benefit  of  short  term  campers,  certain  "required"  activities  such 
as  athletic  and  aquatic  meets,  hikes  and  practical  talks  were  repeated  each  period 
of  two  weeks,  many  of  the  electivcs  being  worked  out  at  campfires,,  on  the  field, 
or  on  trips.  There  was  never  a  lack  of  activities  for  the  campfire  program; 
indeed,  there  werei  so  many  requests  for  opportunity  to  tell  stories,  recite  poems, 
perform  stunts,  and  entertain  in  numerous  ways,  that  the  directors  always  found 
it  difficult  to  close  the  program  before  "tattoo."  When^  a  lodge  group  went  down 
the  lake  for  an  "overnight,"  even  the  smaller  fire  offered  possibilities  for  bringing 
the  boy  nearer  the  coveted  emblem.  Credits  were  offered  for  the  doing  well  of 
practically  everything  that  a  live  boy  can  attempt  and  every  credit  meant  more 
progress  toward  the  four-fold  ideal  of  manhood.  .  .  . 

No  attempt  was  made  to  compel  a  boy  to  enter  the  "Efficiency  Test."  Every 
effort  was  made  on  the  part  of  the  directors  and  leaders  to  enthuse  the  campers 
"to  take  their  measure"  and  practically  all  the  boys  who  remained  for  the  longer 
periods  tried  to  win  an  emblem." 

Thus  was  transferred  to  oiit-of-school  time  and  to  activities  not  con- 
templated in  school  curricula  much  of  the  same  method  of  control  and 
of  stimulation  to  activity  which  we  find  in  the  grades  and  examination 
system  of  the  public  schools.  It  is  true  the  course  was  broader  and  there 
were  more  electives,  but  the  underlying  philosophy  and  the  principles 
of  education  were  practically  the  same.  One  thing  saved  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  from  becoming  so  fixed  on  this  Program 
of  Boys'  Work  as  to  be  held  back  by  it  for  two  or  three  decades  at 
least :  There  was  no  national  centralized  organization  with  authority 
to  enforce  any  rules  or  regulations  upon  any  local  Association.  There- 
fore although  the  C.  C.  T.  P.  was  widely  ofifered  and  accepted — the 
eflFort  even  being  made  by  some  regional  groups  of  Boys'  Work  Sec- 
retaries to  force  a  "Standardization"  upon  this  program — the  men  in 
the  field  were  left  to  use  it  or  to  change  it  as  might  seem  to  meet  the 
needs  of  their  groups.  Much  experimentation  went  on,  and  revisions 
began  to  take  place  immediately.  Various  state  groups  worked  out  re- 
vised programs  for  use  within  the  Association  groups  of  their  states. 
The  most  widely  used  of  these  revisions  was  the  "California  Plan," 
which,  was.  worked  out  .with  a  lot  of,  insignia,  ritual  and  elements  ap- 
proactiin^.'.va'.s.onte,  details  thf.  National;  plan  of  the  Boy  Scouts.  At 
one  fime'it  appeared  that  the  Boys'  Program  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and 
of  the  Boy  Scouts  were  ,about  to  become  competitive ;  some  workers  in 
each  organization  evidentlv  considered. this  probable,  and  in  a  few  com- 
munities'6n;oi.ug{?..  rivalry  ('id  dev,ciop  to,  cause  distrtist  and  even  bitter- 
ness between  the  professional  .i/Oi-kers  of  the  two  organizations. 

Had  this  trend  toward  intellectualistic  programs  for  boys  continued 
without  modification,  a  very  unworthy  spectacle  might  have  developed. 
But  a  few  of  the  boys'  workers  and  camp  directors  came  in  contact 
with  educators  and  psychologists  who  fired  them  with  new  ideas  of  the 


"Hileman,  W.  R. ;  Associate  Director  Camp  Nissokone,  Detroit,  Michigan,  Using 
the  C.  C.  T.  P.  in  the  Summer  Camp;  American  Youth,  Vol.  XX,  No.  3,  April, 
1921.  p.  88. 


The  Summer  Camp  Becames  Academic  51 

possibilities  of  changed  and  less  mechanized  methods  of  dealing  with 
boys  and  girls.  They  became  critical  minded  and  began  to  study  to 
experiment,  and  to  evaluate  the  results.  They  found  renewed  satisfac- 
tions in  their  revolutionized  enterprise,  and  reported  their  experiences 
with  enthusiasm.  Others  caught  this  spirit  of  investigation  and  inquiry 
and  began  searching  for  ways  for  transforming  the  regimented  aca- 
demic camp  curricula.  A  movement  of  free  and  unhampered  progres- 
sive education  may  result.  This  transformation  will  be  traced  in  the 
chapters  of  Part  II  through  the  case  history  of  an  experimental  camp 
within  the  movement  itself.  It  is  not  intended  here  to  suggest  that  the 
transformation  has  more  than  begun.  Enough  progress  has  been  made 
to  warrant  a  study  of  the  processes  through  which  many  camps  have 
found  increased  satisfactions  and  greater  usefulness. 


I 


w^^^ 


A  DECADE  OF  EXPERIMENTAL  CAMPING 


A  Case  Study 


CHAPTER  IV 

A  FIXED  PROGRAM 

The  plan  and  purpose  of  the  Southern  College  of  Young  Men's 
Christian  Associations  (later  changed  to  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Graduate 
School)  called  for  supervised  experience  in  the  various  lines  of  work 
covered  by  the  courses  of  the  college.  Students  in  the  field  of  Boys' 
Work  during  the  three  quarters  of  the  year  spent  in  Nashville  had  op- 
portunity to  work  with  various  types  of  clubs,  agencies,  and  organiza- 
tions under  the  supervision  and  direction  of  the  College  Facultv.  Since 
camping  held  so  large  a  place  in  Boys'  Work  a  complete  project  expe- 
rience required  supervised  training  in  camp  leadership  and  administra- 
tion. Scy  Camp  (Pronounced  as  if  spelled  s-k-y,  a  name  formed  from 
the  initials  of  the  College)  was  founded  for  the  primary  pur«})ose  of 
providing  the  laboratory  for  training  students  for  camp  direction  and 
leadership. 

A  second  purpose  of  the  camp  was  to  serve  as  a  demonstration  and 
testing  center  whereby  new  methods  and  programs  could  be  tried,  stud- 
ied, improved,  and  made  available  to  camps  throughout  the  region.  This 
camp  located  on  a  part  of  the  grounds  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Ajssociation 
where  the  College  held  its  summer  quarter  was  easily  accessible  to  the 
Southern  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Summer  School  which  brought  large  numbers 
of  Secretaries  to  Blue  Ridge  each  summer  for  two  weeks  of  intensive 
training.  It  was  hoped  that  observation  in  this  camp  might  bring  con- 
crete examples  of  method  to  their  discussions  and  thereby  tend  to  raise 
the  standards  of  camping. 

Still  another  idea  in  establishing  the  camp  was  to  show  how  the  reli- 
gious emphasis  of  the  best  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  Pro- 
gram could  be  used  in  a  long  term  camp  operating  under  conditions 
similar  to  those  found  in  many  private  camps.  The  camp  vras  estab- 
lished definitely  within  the  economic  field  of  the  private  camp,  because 
it  was  necessary  for  it  to  be  self-supporting  and  to  avoid  competition 
with  local  organization  camps.  There  was  some  idea  that  private  camps 
were  destined  to  be  money  makers ;  if  that  proved  to  be  true,  then  Scy 
Camp  might  help  to  endow  the  School  of  Boys'  Work  in  the  college. 

While  not  definitely  formulated,  perhaps,  the  whole  underlying  pur- 
pose of  the  executive  head  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Association  was  to  leave 
nothing  undone  that  might  serve  boyhood  and  young  manhood.  It  was 
sincerely  hoped  that  this  camp  would  provide  boys  with  training  for 
finer  personal  character  and  for  leadership  in  churches  and  Young  Men's 
Christian  Associations  of  their  own  communities. 

The  camp  was  never  self-suporting  financially,  never  having  enrolled 
more  than  45  boys  in  any  one  season.  During  the  early  years  of  the 
camp  the  Student  counselors  also  took  graduate  courses  in  the  College. 

55 


56  Organizt'd  Camping  afid  Progressive  Education 

their  counselorship  paying  for  their  expenses.  This  arrangement  never 
proved  quite  satisfactory;  a  student  was  likely  either  to  neglect  his 
camp  duties  or  his  studies.  It  worked  well  when  only  the  regular  camp- 
craft  courses  were  taken  in  the  summer  by  men  who  served  as  camp 
counselors. 

Camp  Site  and  Equipment 

The  camp  site  was  located  on  a  small  cleared  area  between  two  moun- 
tain streams;  although  less  than  half  a  mile  from  Robert  E.  Lee  Hall, 
the  main  building  on  the  Blue  Ridge  grounds,  it  was  so  well  surrounded 
by  forest  trees  and  thick  laurel  and  rhododendron  that  it  seemed  quite 
secluded.  The  original  equipment  consisted  of  the  Main  Lodge,  the 
Dining  Lodge,  and  five  rustic  sleeping  cabins.  Each  cabin  was  fur- 
nished with  iron  cots  and  provided  for  seven  boys  and  a  counselor. 
Three  more  of  these  cabins  were  built  for  the  second  year.  The  cabins 
were  set  back  in  the  edge  of  the  woods  fronting  on  two  sides  of  the 
campus.  They  were  a  bit  too  close  together  and  in.  too  much  of  a  mili- 
tary line,  although  not  so  extreme  as  in  many  modern  camps. 

The  first  floor  of  the  Main  Lodge  contained  a  porch,  a  recreation 
room  and  a  general  assembly  room,  while  the  second  provided  four 
rooms  for  office,  conference,  or  discussion.  The  Dining  Lodge  com- 
prised dining  room,  kitchen,  pantry,  serving  room,  matron's  rest  room. 
This  building  was  provided  with  hot  and  cold  running  water ;  a  shower 
room  was  located  underneath  the  dining  room,  taking  advantage  of  the 
slope  of  the  land.  These  two  framed  structures  although  left  rustic 
inside  were  finished  in  colonial  style  on  the  outside  and  although  they 
matched  the  other  buildings  on  the  Blue  Ridge  grounds  they  were  often 
criticized  as  not  fitting  into  the  camp  picture.  Lodges  and  cabins  were 
lighted  with  electricity. 

A  five-acre  lake  built  the  second  year  provided  for  water  sports.  A 
Council  Ring  on  the  lower  slopes  of  High  Top  mountain,  which  towered 
directly  above  the  camp,  was  the  center  of  much  camp  activity.  There 
was  a  volleyball  court  on  the  campus,  but  the  tennis  courts,  gymnasium, 
baseball  and  track  fields  of  the  Blue  Ridge  grounds  were  regularly 
used  for  sports  and  athletics.  The  entire  equipment  and  1,600  acres 
of  the  grounds  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Association  were  at  the  service  of 
the  camp  as  needed.  Directly  across  the  Swannanoa  River  to  the  North, 
Greybeard  Mt.  and  the  Seven  Sisters  which  form  the  Walkertown 
Ridge  with  their  varying  cloud  effects  made  ever  changing  scenery  for 
the  campers  and  they  looked  down  upon  the  Town  of  Black  Mountain 
in  the  valley  three  miles  away. 

Camp  Staff 

The  original  plan  of  administration  for  the  camp  in  this  setting 
included  a  camp  director,  an  assistant  camp  director,  and  an  advisory 
Board  composed  of  the  faculty  of  the  College  and  the  Boys'  Work 
Secretary  of  the  Southern  Region.  Students  of  the  College  who  were 
training  for  Boys'  Work  were  the  counselors   (called  Leaders  in  this 


A  Fixed  Program  57 

camp  as  in  most  Y  Camps).  It  was  planned  to  set  aside  very  definitely 
each  morning  two  hours  or  more  when  each  hoy  should  pursue  ccrlaiii 
studies  in  regular  school  work;  hence  as  camp  director  a  man  who  had 
had  more  than  twenty  years'  experience  as  headmaster  of  preparatory 
schools  for  boys  was  selected  and  given  charge  of  the  executive  and 
administrative  duties  of  the  camp.  His  especial  responsihilitv  was  to 
organize  and  carry  on  the  school  period  in  the  mornings  in  such  fashion 
that  schools  would  accept  the  credits  made  on  the  school  courses  pur- 
sued. The  writer's  first  connection  with  summer  camping  was  to  serve 
as  an  instructor  in  Latin  and  Algebra  during  this  morning  period  the 
year  the  camp  opened. 

The  Program  Director,  who  was  the  Professor  of  Roys'  Work  in 
the  College,  was  charged  with  the  responsibility  for  leadership  training 
and  program  building.  Members  of  the  Advisory  Board  were  called 
upon  as  needed  for  talks,  sermons,  vocational  guidance  discussions, 
addresses  and  general  counselling.  An  important  service  was  that  of 
the  Physical  Education  Department  in  making  thorough  phvsical  ex- 
aminations of  the  boys  and  directing  corrective  exercises.  Direct  re- 
sponsibility for  the  boys'  activities  was  in  the  hands  of  the  teachers  and 
cabin  counselors.  While  the  teachers  had  charge  of  the  boys  in  the 
mornings,  the  cabin  counselors  had  their  classes  in  the  college ;  then 
they  took  the  boys  and  the  teachers  became  the  college  students  in  their 
turn.  Two  college  men  served  tables  and  washed  dishes  the  first  year, 
but  after  that  older  campers  always  did  that  in  part  payment  of  fees. 
The  Nurse  and  infirmary  of  Blue  Ridge  served  the  camp's  medical 
needs.  Camp  Mother  and  Dietician  and  a  Negro  chef  completed  the 
staff. 

Policy  and  Program 

The  camp  director  administered  the  camp  much  as  he  would  his 
preparatory  school.  He  made  talks  to  the  boys  and  moralized  to  them 
frequently ;  he  constantly  requested  attention  when  he  spoke,  and  in- 
sisted on  instant  obedience.  He  liked  boys  and  he  acted  from  a  sense 
of  doing  his  duty  by  them  in  the  very  best  way,  and  they  responded 
to  his  sincerity  even  when  antagonized  by  his  method. 

Scy  Camp  opened  in  1923  with  twenty-one  boys  aged  11  to  18. 
There  were  three  cabin  groups,  formed  by  leaving  each  boy  to  enter 
either  cabin  he  selected.  The  largest  number  of  cam.pers  came  from 
the  private  school  where  the  camp  director  was  headmaster.  Most 
Southern  States  were  represented.  The  three  cabin  counselors  and 
another  student  who  served  as  director  of  games  and  athletics  were 
responsible  for  the  general  program  activities  of  the  boy,  although  the 
men  who  coached  studies  or  washed  dishes  often  hiked  or  played  with 
the  boys  or  took  part  in  camp-fire  and  other  programs. 

The  program  worked  out  in  advance  by  the  Program  Director  and 
the  advisory  council  was  an  adaptation  of  the  Christian  Citizenship 
Training  Program  which  has  already  been  described.^     The  first  task 

'See  Chapter  III. 


58  Organized  Camming  and  Progressive  Education 

for  group  leaders  was  "Charting,"  a  new  experience  for  both  boys  and 
counselors.  In  preparation  for  this  the  Program  Director  explained 
to  the  whole  assembly  how  the  charting  plan  worked  and  then  demon- 
strated it  with  a  few  examples,  i.  e.,  by  charting  some  well  known,  man, 
and  drawing  his  character  "picture"  on  the  blackboard.  The  idea  of 
the  well-fiUed-out  "square"  was  seen.  Following  this  the  counselors 
who  had  previously  been  given  a  list  of  questions  to  aid  them,  charted 
each  boy.  They  found  some  whose  development  was  four-square,  but 
many  more  were  strong  on  one  side  and  weak  on  another,  thus  creating 
figures  that  were  far  from  square  on  their  charts.  Boys  who  were 
thus  lopsided  were  advised  what  sort  of  activities  they  needed  most  to 
bring  up  their  weak  points. 

When  the  charting  was  completed  the  charts  were  collected,  averages 
were  computed  for  the  four  sides  of  the  square,  and  a  composite  chart 
for  the  camp  was  made.  It  was  felt  that  this  would  indicate  the  places 
where  the  camp  as  a  whole  was  lowest  and  so  indicate  where  the  strong- 
est emphases  in  program  were  needed.  Counselors  and  directors  seemed 
to  feel  that  this  challenge  to  a  boy  to  build  up  his  weak  points  and 
consider  whether  he  was  growing  four-square  or  lopsided  was  a  whole- 
some thing.  Counselors  who  had  never  had  much  experience  in  inter- 
viewing of  any  kind  were  much  pleased  with  the  responses  many  boys 
made  to  their  initial  charting  interviews.  A  few  changes  in  the  "pre- 
pared" program  were  made  to  meet  particular  needs  revealed  in  the 
charting  interviews  and  then  the  program  was  mimeographed,  bound, 
and  a  copy  given  to  each  camper. 

This  program  was  made  up  by  selecting  from  the  Handbooks  of 
the  C.  C.  T.  P.  such  tasks  as  could  be  achieved  in  eight  weeks  in  camp. 
It  touched  but  lightly  certain  phases  of  the  complete  C.  C.  T.  P.  Given 
below  is  a  copy  of  the  program  booklet  of  1924,  which  is  but  little 
changed  from  the  one  used  in  1923. 

ScY  Camp — Honor  Emblem  Tests,  1924 

1.  Each  boy  in  camp  will  at  the  close  of  the  camping  period  receive  the  Christian 
Citizenship  Emblem  which  indicates  the  approximate  number  of  points  he  has 
received  in  each  of  the  four  groups  of  tests. 

2.  To  each  boy  who  earns  500  or  more  points  in  each  of  the  four  groups  of  tests 
will  be  awarded  the  "SCY  Emblem,"  the  Christian  Citizenship  emblem  sur- 
rounded by  the  RED  TRIANGLE  enclosing  the  letters  SCY. 

3.  The  ORDER,  of  the  SILVER  STAR  will  be  conferred  upon  each  boy  who 
earns  750  or  more  points  in  each  side  of  the  four  groups  of  tests. 

4.  Upon  ONE  boy  who  has  earned  admission  to  the  ORDER  OF  THE  SILVER 
STAR,  who  in  the  judgment  of  the  campers  and  leaders  is  the  best  all-round 
boy  in  camp,  will  be  conferred  the  ORDER  OF  THE  GOLD  STAR,  the 
highest  honor  that  can  be  awarded  by  SCY  CAMP. 

All  page  references  in  the  following  tests  are  to  the  "Comrade  Test"  pamphlet 
of  the  Christian  Citizenship  Program. 


A  Fixed  Program  59 

INTELLECTUAL  TESTS 

Education  Total  Credit?;  300 

Required   Test — Page    11    200 

c.  Participate  in  debate  on  "Why  Go  to  College?"  50 

Elective    Test    100 

a.  Contribute  regularly  to  "SCY  ROCKET"   50 

b.  Participate  in  camp  play  50 

Supplementary  Training    ]  00 

Develop  a  "hobby"  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  tent  leader  and  devote 
at  least  two  hours  per  week  to  it. 

Health  Education   JOO 

a.  Attend  two  tent  group  meetings  where  "From  Youth  Into  Man- 
hood" is  read  and  discussed  75 

b.  View  thoroughly  the  U.  S.  Public  Health  Service  Physical 
Fitness    Charts    25 

Reading  and  Public  Speaking  100 

a.  Make  a  six-minute  speech  before  the  camp  on  an  assigned  topic  50 

b.  Read  two  books  from  any  two  groups  of  fiction,  biography, 
science  or  character  development   (25  points  each)    50 

Current  History,  Trips  and  Lectures  100 

a.  Give  evidence  to  leader  that  you  are  well  informed  on  current 
events  of  note  in  the  past  sixty  days  50 

b.  Write  or  give  orally  to  the  camp  a  report  of  trip  you  have  made  50 

Arts,  Crafts  and  Hobbies   100 

Make   some  useful   article   for   camp — amount   of   time,   usefulness 
of  article  and  quality  of  work  to  be  taken  into  consideration. 

Woodcraft  and  Nature  Study    10() 

Tests  to  be  announced  from  time  to  time. 

The  announced  tests  were:     First  Year  men  take  two  and  Second 

Year  take  four  of  the  tests  listed  below : 

a.  Know  and  name  fifty  wildflowers;  preserve  and  press  a  speci- 
men of  each,  making  a  book  of  them. 

b.  Know  and  give  interesting  facts  about  twenty-five  trees ;  make  a 
book  containing  leaf  prints  one  page  and  the  description  and 
interesting  facts  on  the  opposite, 

c.  Identify  twenty-five  mushrooms,  and  help  prepare  an  exhibit  of 
them  on  August  first,  afternoon. 

d.  Collect,  mount  and  identify  fifteen  moths. 

e.  Dry,  mount  and  name  fifteen  ferns. 

f.  Make  blue  prints  of  fifteen  choice  wild  flowers. 

g.  Make  a  fairly  accurate  sundial. 

h.  Make  a  set  of  rubbing  sticks  and  make  a  fire  with  it  at  council 

ring. 
i.    Pass  a  designated  test  on  Stars. 

Persanality  Analysis    100 

Required  test  on  page  2i.  

1000 

PHYSICAL  TESTS 

Health  Habits   200 

Required  test  on  page  2)7. 

Camper  aft     1 00 

Required  test  on  page  39 50 

Second  Year  Choices  on  page  40,  Nos.  6,  8.  9,  10,  11 50 


100 

50 

50 

100 

60 

40 

100 

60 

40 

200 

100 

100 

1000 

60  Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

3.  Team   Gcniics    

a.  Required  test  on  page  43  (only  one  rule  book)    

b.  Any    two    electives    on    page   43    or    write    300    words    on    good 
sportsmanship    

4.  Group  Games  

a.  Required  test  on  page  44  

b.  Any  two  electives  on  page  44 

5.  Aquatics  

a.  Required  test  on  page  46  

b.  Any  five  electives  on  page  46  

6.  Athletics 

To  be  announced.     See  pages  46-50. 

7.  Physical  Examination 

Required  test  on  page   51. 

8.  Personality   Analysis    

Required  test  on  page  52. 

SERVICE  TESTS 

1.  Home   (Tent)   Relationships   300 

Give  evidence  that  your  camp  spirit  and   relationships  are  of   high 

grade  so  far  as  it  is  within  your  power  to  make  them  so.  Accept 
cheerfully  responsibilities  for  camp  duties  to  the  extent  of  several 
hours  per  week. 

2.  Friendship  and  Social  Life  100 

a.  Participate  in  an  approved  stunt,  story-telling  evening,  camp  play 
or  entertainment   50 

b.  Discuss  in  your  tent  group  two  of  the  following  :  50 
"  What  should  be  a  felloVs  standard  of  relationship  to  girls?"  . .           25 

"What  qualities  do  I  want  in  the  girl  I  marry?" 25 

"What  social  activities  may  boys  and  girls  have  together?" 25 

3.  Community  Relationships   100 

Render  some  specific  camp  service  suggested  or  approved  by  your 

leader,  and  contribute  to  some  worthy  cause.  1 

4.  Citizenship  100 

Read  Chapter  20  of  Comrades  Handbook   50 

Two  of  the  following  three  electives  :  (25  each)   50 

a.  Second  year  choices  Nos.  1  and  2,  page  81. 

b.  Membership  on  Camp  Council. 

c.  Third  year  choices  No.  2,  page  81. 

5.  Training  for  Service   100 

a.  Read  "Starting  to  Teach,"  Foster,  and  pass  examination 50 

b.  Pass  life  saving  test  or  teach  a  boy  to  swim  50 

c.  Read  Chapters  18  and  19,  Comrades  Handbook  50 

6.  Choosing  A  Life  Work   100 

a.  Make  a  list  of  ten  vocations  and  describe  to  the  group  two  that 
interest  you  most   25 

b.  Attend  a  series  of  talks  on  "Principles  of  Choosing  a  Life  Work"  50 

c.  Fill    out    a    Self-Analysis    Blank    and   have   talk   with    leader   or 
•  assigned  adviser    25 

7.  World   Brotherhood    100 

Talk  on  World  Brotherhood,  or  Elective  No.  2,  page  88   60 

Attend  two  discussions  on  "Race  Relationships"  40 

8.  Personality   Analysis    100 

Required  test  page  89.  

1000 


A  Fixed  Program  61 

DEVOTIONAL  TESTS 

1.  Public    Worship    200 

Attend  regular  Sunday  Church  Worship,  iiarticipating  in  the  service 
(participation  in  Camp  Vespers  accepted  together  with  church 
attendance). 

2.  God  In  Nature  and  Art  jqq 

a.  Any  four  electives  on  pages  59-60,  taking  one  from  each  of  the 

four  groups   50 

b.  Indian  Test — Spend  at  least  three  hours  alone  at  night  away  from 
camp  in  thoughtful  meditation.  Camp  Director  will  give  further 
instructions  50 

3.  CJutrch  School  Loyalty  200 

a.  Attend  daily  Bible  Study  regularly   \qq 

b.  Show  right  attitude  toward  Bible  Class  work  by  a  study  of  the 
lesson  and  co-operative  spirit   100 

4.  Knozvlcdge  of  the  Bible   - jqO 

a.  Write  in  your  own  words  the  two  Great  Commandments  given  by 

Jesus  in  Luke  10  -.27 25 

b.  Tell  your  tent  group  the  story  of  an  impressive  incident  in  the  life 

of  an  Old  Testament  character  and  tell  why  it  impressed  you  ....  SO 

c.  In  your  own  language  write  the  Ten  Commandments  for  a  boy 

of  today    25 

5.  Story  of  Christianity   100 

Required  test,  page  64  or  read  Book  of  Acts  in  Modern  Translation. 

6.  My  Church  and  I  100 

Discuss  in  at  least  four  tent  devotion  periods,  "Why  Have  A 
Church?";  "The  Place  of  the  Church  in  a  Boy's  Life";  "A  Boy's 

Right  Attitude  Toward  the  Church" ;  "What  Being  a  Christian 
Really  Means." 

7.  Personal   Devotions    100 

Required  tedt  on  page  67. 

8.  Personality  Analysis 100 

Required  test  on  page  68.  

1000 

Every  detail  of  this  program  was  worked  out  before  camp  opened 
and  all  through  the  summer  the  events  were  "set  up"  by  the  directors 
and  counselors,  the  boys  being  told  when  and  where  each  event  would 
take  place.  Boys  had  nothing  to  say  either  in  formation  of  the  program 
or  the  method  of  its  execution.  With  tv/o  hours  of  real  school  work 
in  the  mornings,  one  wonders  how  the  boys  ever  thought  of  this  as  a 
camp.  None  of  them  had  ever  been  in  a  progressive  camp  or  school, 
however,  and  so  had  never  had  more  freedom  of  choice  than  this. 
Although  they  expressed  some  disappointment  at  times  that  camp  was 
more  like  school  than  they  had  expected,  they  made  the  best  of  it,  and 
in  the  main  seemed  contented  and  happy. 

Administrative  Method 

This  autocratic  method  was  not  due  to  any  inherent  disposition  to 
dominate  on  the  part  of  either  directors  or  counselors,  but  was  a  part 
of  the  educational  psychology  of  the  time  and  of  the  conventions  of 
society;  they  simply  did  not  know  how  to  operate  a  program  on  any 


62  Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

other  basis.  The  philosophy  of  the  time  was  that  children  could  not 
be  expected  to  know  what  was  best  for  them ;  therefore  why  consult 
them  about  such  things.  It  was  held  to  be  the  responsibility  of  educa- 
tors to  know  just  what  youth  needed  and  to  make  sure  they  got  as  much 
of  it  as  could  possibly  be  given  in  the  time  at  hand.  This  program 
appealed  to  people  on  the  ground  that  it  was  an  efficient  way  to  get  boys 
to  do  a,  lot  of  things  that  would  be  good  for  their  developing  character 
and  with  a  minimum  of  resistance. 

In  the  effort  to  make  sure  boys  got  into  activities  listed  on  the  pro- 
gram, the  C.  C.  T.  P.  point  system  was  followed.  This  meant  that  boy 
and  counselor  together  measured  the  boy's  achievements  and  set  down 
their  judgment  of  his  grade  on  these  values  on  a  point  or  percentage 
basis  in  order  that  the  boy  might  know  when  he  was  succeeding  and 
when  losing  opportunity.  With  the  honor  emblem  system,  whatever 
the  philosophy  of  the  counselors  and  directors,  there  existed  a  set  of 
extrinsic  incentives  which  centered  whatever  interest  they  stimulated 
in  the  emblem  itself.  Like  most  curricula  of  the  period,  the  program 
was  built  to  furnish  information  and  skills  the  boy  might  need  when 
adulthood  was  reached — what  his  present  interests  might  demand  was 
considered  only  incidentally.  Awards  were  used  to  get  him  to  do  things 
that  would  be  good  for  him  later  although  he  often  saw  little  reason  for 
doing  them.  Many  speeches  and  talks  were  given  by  prominent  men. 
some  of  them  enjoyed  by  the  boys,  others  endured  ;  credit  vras  received 
for  both. 

Discipline  was  in  the  hands  of  the  camp  director.  He  called  and 
set  penalties  for  infractions  of  order  in  "school."  dining  room  or  else- 
where. The  campers  had  a  "Kangaroo  Court"'  which  took  up  some 
petty  infractions,  tried  them  more  or  less  in  fun  and  meted  out  a  pen- 
alty— usually  one  that  would  mean  more  fun  in  carrying  out  the  sen- 
tence. Late  in  the  first  summer  a  camp  council  was  established  with  a 
representative  camper  from  each  cabin  group  sitting  with  the  counse- 
lors ;  this  was  mostly  for  the  purpose  of  enlisting  more  effort  and 
enthusiasm  for  carrying  out  the  prepared  program. 

Sunday  School  was  set  up  by  the  camp  director  who  acted  as  Super- 
intendent and  Song  Leader,  and  appointed  the  officers  and  teachers. 
Boys  were  divided  into  three  classes  according  to  age  and  each  boy  must 
be  on  hand  for  Sunday  School  unless  excused  by  the  director.  Each 
boy  must  likewise  attend  Church  Services  at  Blue  Ridge  where  each 
Sunday  some  noted  speaker  addressed  adult  conferences.  Great  mes- 
sages were  delivered,  but  rarely  on  the  boys'  level  and  they  often  failed 
to  keep  awake. 

Hikes  were  set  up  in  about  the  same  fashion ;  the  directors  in  con- 
sultation with  the  counselors  selected  the  hike  and  announced  it  to  the 
boys  with  details  alx)ut  making  their  packs,  time  of  leaving  and  other 
details.  All  boys  must  go  unless  excused  by  the  doctor  or  nurse. 
Starting  with  short  hikes,  the  distances  were  increased  each  week. 
Many  interesting  beauty  spots  around  Blue  Ridge  were  visited.  Dur- 
ing most\  of  the  first  season  hikes  the  predominant  idea  was  "roughing 


-/  Fixed  Progra/n  63 

it,"  displaying  and  "developing"  hardihood  in  the  out-of-doors.  To 
get  there  and  back,  even  with  some  hardship,  was  considered  worth- 
while although  the  beauty  of  the  places  themselves  could  not  be  ij^norcd. 
Such  hiking  was  then  common  but  more  recently  has  been  severely 
criticized  for  its  unnecessary  fatigue  and  its  lack  of  definiteness  of 
purpose.  The  camp  director  led  these  hikes  in  person  and  l)y  keej^ing 
the  whole  camp  group  in  one  body  he  kept  a  watchful  eye  upon  all. 
Older  boys  and  seasoned  hikers  had  to  wait  for  the  slow  and  inexpe- 
rienced despite  their  protests. 

It  must  not  be  imagined  from  the  plain  statement  of  fact  about  the 
methods  used  that  the  boys  were  necessarily  unhappy.  They  took  it 
as  a  matter  of  course,  grumbled  some  now  and  then  as  in  school,  en- 
dured things  they  did  not  enjoy  and  entered  with  zest  and  enthusiasm 
into  those  things  which  touched  their  own  interests.  The  friendly 
intimate  relationships  with  their  counselors  who  sincerely  wished  to 
give  them  as  good  a  time  as  possible,  and  who  wanted  most  of  all  to  see 
them  develop  strong  Christian  Character — the  friendships  and  expe- 
riences with  these  men  and  the  other  boys  made  their  influence  felt 
despite  the  academic  surroundings  and  for  the  most  part  the  boys  en- 
joyed camp  life  and  declared  it  a  great  summer. 

They  did  the  things  laid  out  for  them  with  varying,  degrees  of  suc- 
cess ;  were  awarded  the  points ;  and  at  the  close  of  the  season  emblems 
were  given  to  show  just  how  much  each  boy  had  attained  on  each  side 
of  his  "square."  The  most  intimate  features  of  the  program  centered 
in  the  Bible  discussions  which  were  not  memoriter  affairs  like  many 
Sunday  School  classes  once  were,  but  were  conducted  as  group  dis- 
cussions for  thirty  minutes  each  morning.  Another  devotional  feature 
which  the  boys  learned  to  enjoy  was  the  tent  devotional  period  in  the 
evenings  when  each  cabin  group  had  scripture  reading,  some  discussion 
perhaps,  then  engaged  in  prayer — each  boy  soon  learning  to  lead  his 
sentence  of  prayer. 

Sunday  evening  vesper  services  were  conducted  by  the  camp  di- 
rector who  led  the  songs  and  made  a  talk  to  the  boys.  He  spoke  of 
qualities  of  manhood  and  the  experiences  by  which  they  were  developed, 
and  to  the  extent  that  character  growth  comes  from  precept,  these 
vespers  should  have  been  vei"y  fruitful.  Boys  were  listeners  except 
for  participation  in  the  singing.  During  the  second  year  Vesper  Serv- 
ices were  turned  over  to  the  boys  to  plan  and  conduct,  counselors  freely 
helping  to  plan  the  program  when  requested,  but  not  attending  unless 
specially  invited. 

Second  Year  Changes 

For  the  most  part  the  second  year  program  was  like  the  first  except 
that  second  year  activities  were  added  for  "old  campers"  who  returned. 
The  same  emblem  tests  and  point  system  were  used.  A  shorter  ques- 
tionnaire for  charting  was  developed.  There  were  four  cabin  groups. 
School  work  was  continued.  A  volley  ball  court  had  been  completed 
on  the  campus  and  the  lake  had  been  created  since  the  first  year. 


64  Organized  Cam  fin  g  and  Progressive  Education 

The  principal  project  finished  during  the  first  season  was  the  council 
ring.  During  that  summer  Philip  Pagans  of  the  Woodcraft  League 
was  on  the  grounds  as  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  the  Southern 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  Summer  School.  Camp  directors  and  counselors  joined 
his  classes  and  became  enthusiastic  woodcrafters.  Mr.  Pagans  himself 
helped  them  locate  the  site  for  the  camp  council  ring  and  the  campers 
built  it.  During  the  second  summer  the  campers  were  divided  into 
three  Woodcraft  Bands  and  two  council  ring  programs  per  week  were 
held.  These  bands  were  not  cabin  groups,  each  band  having  some 
members  in  each  cabin — a  rather  inconvenient  arrangement. 

This  marks  the  beginning  of  group  activity  in  the  camp  in  any 
organized  fashion,  the  program  having  been  laid  out  almost  entirely  on 
an  individual  basis.  Eight  boys  qualified  for  membership  in  the  Wood- 
craft League  during  the  summer  and  the  Scy  Camp  Tribe  was  char- 
tered. The  Woodcraft  League  work  was  always  found  to  fit  readily 
into  the  fourfold  C.  C.  T.  P.  which  was  being  used  as  a  basis  of  camp 
program,  so  no  emphasis  was  made  on  the  new  organization  as  such. 
iDut  it  was  used  for  its  emphases  on  handicraft  and  nature  study,  which 
seemed  to  have  been  somewhat  neglected  the  first  year. 

The  point  system  with  its  competition  and  credit  for  activities  was 
extended  to  the  council  ring.  The  following  plan  posted  for  a  few 
days  on  the  bulletin  board  was  adopted  and  used  during  the  remainder 
of  the  summer : 

For  the  good  of  the  tribe  it  is  proposed  that  the  Tally  Keeper  be  provided  with 
a  special  record  hook  in  which  to  keep  a  record  of  credits  allowed  each  band  for 
games,  scout  reports  and  other  contests  designated  by  tlie  Chief,  allowed  in 
council  or  as  set  forth  below ;  the  records  of  the  individual  members  of  each  band 
to  be  kept  by  the  Tally  Keeper  of  each  band. 

ALLOWANCE  OF  CREDITS 

1.  Bands  having  acceptable  Totem  finished  and  at  council  ring  at  next  meeting 
will  be  allowed  50  points ;  one  week  later,  25  points,  and  two  weeks  later  10 
points. 

2.  For  each  scout  report  of  something  of  natural  interest  with  specimen  at  council 
for  display,  five  points. 

3.  For  band  having  most  men  able  to  repeat  the  Woodcraft  Laws  at  next  council, 
fifty  points ;  one  week  later,  25  points. 

4.  For  band  having  all  members  ready  to  repeat  Watchwords  and  Laws  first, 
25  points. 

5.  For  each  woodcraft  article  accepted  as  initiation  of  member,  10  credits  at  next 
council  and  two  less  for  each  later  council. 

6.  For  band  having  all  initiations  completed  first,  25  points.  Caution — work  must 
be  of  good  quality  before  the  Chief  will  accept  it,  so  do  not  make  waste  by  haste. 

7.  Credits  nn  games,  contests  and  such  program  features  will  be  announced  when 
the  contests  and  games  are  announced. 

8.  For  each  campfire  story  (5-15  minutes)  approved  by  a  counselor  and  told  well, 
a  credit  to  the  band  of  10  points. 

9.  For  any  member  who  wins  a  coup,  100  points  go  to  the  band ;  250  points  for 
a  grand  coup.  Especial  attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  in  nature  study  a 
coup  may  be  won  by  knowing  and  naming  correctly  fifty  wild  flowers ;  a  grand 


A  Fixed  Program  65 

coup  for  a  hundred ;  similar  coups  for  moths,  butterflies,  trees,  ferns  and  other 

things.' 

Here  we  note  at  once  the  beginning  of  group  coniiK'tition  as  an 
additional  stimulant  to  activity.  Bands  had  been  slow  to  complete  some 
of  these  features  of  woodcraft  life  and  so  these  points  and  the  band 
competitions  were  set  up  to  get  these  things  done  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

An  enlarged  period  of  school  work  crowded  out  the  half  hour  of 
Bible  discussion  groups  in  the  mornings  during  the  second  year  and  no 
other  place  was  found  for  it  in  the  schedule.  To  make  up  for  this 
counselors  planned  a  system  of  directed  cabin  devotion  periods;  a  topic 
with  scripture  readings  for  each  day  in  the  week  was  posted  together 
with  a  boy  named  to  lead  each  evening.  Then  on  Sunday  afternoons 
cabin  groups  discussed  the  topic  considered  during  the  week.  Some  of 
these  discussions  were  worthwhile,  but  after  a  big  Sunday  dinner  the 
boys  were  often  listless,  and  the  plan  served  largely  to  give  the  boys 
"credit"  on  Bible  Study. 

Three  of  the  counselors  had  been  in  the  camp  the  first  year  so  asked 
to  be  given  a  larger  share  with  the  director  in  the  direction  of  the  pro- 
gram. Disciplinary  and  administrative  details  were  not  placed  in  their 
hands  but  they  were  allowed  to  see  that  the  planned  program  was  prop- 
erly set  up  and  carried  out.  This  duty  consisted  largely  irt  looking  up 
and  reminding  speakers  (previously  selected)  of  their  appointments — 
rarely  in  making  appointments  with  speakers.  Following  is  a  coun- 
selor's copy  of  the  things  worked  out  by  counselors  and  directors  as  the 
events  for  which  special  set-up  and  promotion  by  the  men  designated 
would  be  needed. 

SCY  CAMP   PROMOTIONAL   PROGRAM 
Second  Week — ■"€.   E."  in  charge  : 

Monday,  July  14— Reading  of  Hall— 2  to  3  P.  M. 
Tuesday,  July  15 — Life  Work  Discussion — 7:45;  Mr.  C. 

Council  Ring  program — "C.   L."  and  "A.   S." 
Wednesday,  July  l^Life  Work  again— 7  :00  P.  M. ;  Mr.  C. 

Movies  at  8  :00  P.  M. 
Thursday,  July  17— Council  Ring— "C.  E."  and  Howard. 
Friday,   July    18— Cabin   Groups   Debate— 2   to   3    P.   M. ;   Why   Go   to    College? 

Current  Events  Evening — 7  :45. 
Saturday,  July  19 — Hike  and  movie  in  evening. 
Sunday,  July  20 — Vesper  Services  by  boys — 7  :30." 

The  above  is  typical  of  the  way  things  were  listed  for  each  week  so 
that  the  man  who  had  charge  of  the  programs  would  know  just  what 
his  responsibilities  were.  The  program  called  for  ten  or  more  talks 
and  speeches  by  prominent  men  in  addition  to  those  heard  in  the  Sunday 
morning  Church  Services.  Counselors  began  to  question  how  many 
items  on  the  promotional  program  carried  the  full  interest  of  the  boys 
and  filled  an  immediately  felt  need  and  how  much  practice  in  camp 
administration  each  counselor  was  getting  from  his  week  of  duty. 


Document  No.  4. 
'Document  No.  5. 


66  Organized  Camming  and  Progressive  Educatian 

Still,  improvement  over  the  previous  year  was  recognized;  equip- 
ment had  been  added,  experiences  proved  helpful;  a  happy  group  of 
boys  enjoyed  the  summer  and  the  camp  was  considered  quite  successful. 
At  the  close  a  program  was  conducted  much  like  the  commencement 
of  a  school.  All  recognitions  were  read  out,  and  camp  emblems,  made 
up  according  to  the  number  of  points  each  boy  had  made  on  each  side 
of  the  square,  were  awarded.  A  special  prize  oflfered  in  story-telling 
by  the  writer  was  awarded  with  due  ceremony  to  the  boy  whom  the 
judges  considered  the  best.  From  the  seven  boys  who  attained  the 
"Order  of  the  Silver  Star,"  one  was  elected  by  vote  of  boys  and  coun- 
selors as  the  Gold  Star  man  or  best  all  round  camper. 

During  the  first  year  the  complicated  program-point  award  system 
was  so  little  understood  that  many  boys  proceeded  to  camp  as  best 
they  could  and  ignored  it  more  or  less  until  near  the  end  of  the  year, 
when  the  counselors  began  to  check  up  and  stir  the  boys  to  get  busy 
winning  their  points.  Much  cramming  ensued.  During  the  second 
year  the  old  boys  who  came  back  to  camp  talked  about  what  a  boy 
must  do  if  he  hoped  to  attain  the  Order  of  the  Silver  Star.  The  in- 
fluence of  the  extrinsic  motivation  was  more  noticeable  than  the  year 
before  and  fewer  boys  carried  on  projects  from  real  interest.  Still 
there  was  postponement  of  many  things  so  that  again  the  last  two  weeks 
turned  into  a  rush  for  points.  Boys  would  slip  out  at  night  and  read 
a  book  by  flashlight  to  get  credit  on  the  book ;  sometimes  a  handicraft 
article  was  hurriedly  put  together  with  poor  workmanship  because  a 
certain  number  of  points  depended  upon  "making  something"  and  the 
time  was  short. 

At  the  closing  boys,  parents  and  counselors  seemed  well  pleased  with 
their  experience ;  said  they  had  had  a  great  camp  season.  The  coun- 
selors talked  things  over  more  critically  and  set  out  to  discover  a  way 
to  get  more  satisfaction  for  campers.  They,  too,  felt  that  there  was 
too  much  of  the  atmosphere  of  a  school  about  the  camp  and  its  program. 

New  Ideas  Enter 

When  the  members  of  the  camp  staff  assembled  in  1925  they  were 
ready  to  make  changes  in  camp  policy  and  program.  Counselors  who 
had  been  studying  social  sciences  during  the  year  had  gained  a  new 
viewpoint  of  personality  growth  and  were  eager  to  apply  their  new 
theories.  The  leader  in  the  planning  was  a  member  of  the  advisory 
board  who  had  just  returned  from  the  Third  North  American  Assembly 
of  Workers  with  Boys  at  Estes  Park,  Colorado.  There  he  had  en- 
countered such  educational  leaders  as  Dewey,  Kilpatrick,  and  Elliott. 
This  assembly  had  driven  home  two  points :  More  situations  must  be 
provided  for  boys  to  work  together  cooperatively  in  groups,  and  boys 
must  be  allowed  much  more  freedom  to  practice  choosmg  their  activi- 
ties on  the  basis  of  their  own  interests.  Dr.  Kilpatrick  had  questioned 
the  value  of  awards  and  extrinsic  motivation  in  camps  and  education. 
He  held  that  awards  might  be  used  like  scaflfolding  for  erecting  a 


A  Fixed  Program  67 

building  but  that  it  was  temporary  and  must  be  removed  without  iujurv 
to  the  permanent  structure. 

The  Group  Project  Plan 

Tiie  decision  of  the  staff  was  to  discard  the  fixed  program  and  to 
allow  campers  to  select  their  own  group  and  individual  projects.  This 
required  more  definite  group  organization.  Boys  upon  arriving  were 
assigned  to  cabins  temporarily  and  told  that  organization  of  permanent 
groups  would  come  later.  When  ''old  campers"  protested  that  they 
had  always  been  allowed  to  choose  their  cabin  groups  they  were  told 
that  they  would  have  that  privilege,  but  that  it  must  be  done  with  the 
good  of  the  whole  camp  group  in  mind. 

Then,  when  camp  had  l^een  running  about  three  days  and  boys  were 
somewhat  less  strange  to  each  other,  they  were  assembled  for  the  pur- 
pose of  effecting  a  permanent  organization.  The  staff  had  previously 
decided  that  the  best  method  of  grouping  was  to  form  bands  of  the 
Woodcraft  League,  each  band  to  occupy  one  cabin  and  to  have  a 
"Guide"  as  counselor.  The  boys  agreed  to  this  suggestion.  Four  boys 
were  then  nominated  and  elected  as  Band-Chiefs.  They  drew  for  order 
of  choice  and  picked  the  boys  for  their  bands  in  rotation.  Then  they 
selected  their  counselors  and  cabins.  This  method  of  grouping  made 
the  bands  fairly  equal  in  strength  and  provided  for  lively  group  compe- 
tition in  sports,  games,  council  ring  and  other  activities.  Boys  who  had 
wanted  to  pick  out  their  own  locations  felt  that  this  method  was  just 
and  fair  and  accepted  their  places  with  good  grace. 

Boys  were  charted  for  the  purpose  of  locating  interests  more  than 
to  measure  four- fold  development.  Each  band  was  expected  to  work 
out  at  least  one  group  project  on  each  of  the  four  sides  of  the  Christian 
Citizenship  Square — Intellectual,  Physical,  Devotional,  and  Social— 
every  two  weeks.  Each  boy  was  also  expected  to  complete  an  equal 
number  of  individual  projects.  This  plan  was  aimed  to.  balance  group 
and  individual  work,  and  to  forestall  the  postponement  of  the  projects 
until  the  last  of  camp  when  many  would  otherwise  rush  to  do  them. 

This  plan  was  explained  to  the  boys  in  assembly  and  was  accepted 
without  discussion.  The  staff  had  high  hopes  for  this  new  experiment, 
not  realizing  how  artificial  a  situation  was  being  created  when  the 
number  of  projects  was  arbitrarily  set,  and  when  each  was  graded  in 
the  light  of  emblem  requirements.  Although  the  plan  was  more  flexible 
and  less  objectionable  in  that  it  left  the  selection  of  the  projects  to  the 
campers,  it  was  quite  imperfect.  Boys  had  not  been  used  to  the  privi- 
lege of  selecting  activities  and  lacked  initiative.  Leaders  were  even 
more  unskilled  in  guiding  the  boys  toward  activities  in  which  they  might 
find  an  interest.  Both  boys  and  counselors  depended  largely  upon 
selecting  projects  from  books.  Had  nothing  been  said  about  projects 
and  had  natural  ways  of  living  been  followed,  then  interests  could  have 
grown  naturally  and  projects  would  have  arisen  out  of  these  interests, 
but,  with  the  requirement  having  been  passed  like  a  sentence,  to  peri^orm 


68  Organized  Camftng  and  Progressive  Education 

or  accomplish  so  many  projects  in  a  given  time,  they  were  at  a  loss  to 
know  how  to  select  them. 

Anticipating  somewhat  this  lag  in  selecting  projects,  the  staff,  still 
largely  academic  minded  despite  their  efforts  to  become  critically  scien- 
tific, had  given  each  boy  a  copy  of  the  Comrades  Test  pamphlet  (of  the 
C.  C.  T.  P.)  and  placed  in  each  cabin  copies  of  the  Comrade,  Pioneer 
and  Boy  Scout  handbooks,  and  the  Birch  Bark  Roll  of  the  Woodcraft 
League.  The  boys  were  urged  to  look  through  these  for  suggestions. 
Here  we  see  an  attempt  to  get  activity  according  to  interest  with  a 
forced  choice  of  something  to  do.  A  boy's  choice  was  still  more  ham- 
pered with  the  necessity  of  keeping  his  personality  well  balanced  by 
choosing  activities  from  each  of  the  four  areas  (Intellectual,  Devotional, 
Physical,  Social). 

A  period  was  set  aside  in  the  daily  schedule  for  group  meetings  so 
that  projects  might  be  planned,  reported  and  evaluated.  Individual 
projects  were  to  be  done  by  each  boy  in  his  own  free  time,  but  they 
were  reported  to  the  whole  band  and  graded  for  point  evaluation.  The 
old  Four-Sided  point  system  remained  as  the  basis  of  grading  the 
various  projects.  A  boy's  individual  rating  and  the  grades  of  his 
group  on  their  group  projects  were  averaged  to  find  his  rating  for  the 
emblem.  Thus  each  member  of  a  group  received  the  same  grade  on  a 
group  project  regardless  of  the  measure  of  interest  and  work  he  had 
put  forth.  This  was  an  attempted  measure  of  socialization,  a  sort  of 
self -operative  discipline,  to  make  each  boy  realize  his  responsibility  to 
the  group  and  his  dependence  upon  the  group.  i 

There  were  some  definite  results  from  this  plan.  "It  worked" — at 
least  in  certain  instances.  For  example,  one  of  the  older  boys  objected 
violently  to  the  waste  of  time  and  effort  on  the  first  nature  study  hike ; 
protested  that  it  was  all  foolishness  to  waste  so  much  time  looking  for 
flowers,  birds,  and  trees.  He  was  finally  persuaded  to  go  along  because 
his  band  had  voted  to  make  that  trip  as  one  of  their  group  projects  and 
it  would  be  ruined  if  he  did  not  go.  He  became  interested  and  before 
the  camp  closed  this  same  boy  spent  a  large  part  of  his  time  in  collecting 
specimens  of  flowers  and  trees.  He  has  since  served  as  a  nature  lore 
counselor  in  boys'  camps. 

Under  the  old  prepared  program  the  grading  of  activities  was  done 
by  the  cabin  counselors.  With  this  group  project  plan  each  group 
graded  its  own  members  with  the  counselor  taking  part  as  a  member. 
The  aim  was  to  have  boys  learn  to  evaluate  their  own  efforts  and  those 
of  their  fellows ;  and  to  make  group  opinion  felt  by  those  members  who 
were  not  doing  as  well  as  they  should.  It  was  planned  at  first  to  have 
the  group  projects  graded  in  assembly  by  the  whole  camp,  but  this  was 
not  practical. 

School  work  for  the  morning  hours  was  continued  on  the  same  basis 
and  camp  administration  was  still  largely  determined  by  the  director 
without  consultation  with  the  boys  and  with  counselors  assuming  re- 
sponsibility only  for  program  and  activity.  The  Camp  Council — now 
composed  of  counselors  and  Band-Chiefs — became  a  real  group  and 


A  Fixed  Prot^iiim  60 

often  discussed  matters  of  proj^ram.  Counselors  were  i^Mveii  more  re- 
sponsibility for  direction  of  certain  activity  periods ;  although  no 
counselor  was  ever  completely  enough  in  charge  of  camp  to  feel  that 
he  was  carrying  full  responsibility  for  the  day  and  that  he  alone  must 
meet  any  emergency. 

We  have  already  noted  how  slow  the  boys  were  to  choose  and  carry 
out  the  projects.  Despite  the  effort  to  forestall  postponement  little  was 
done  toward  the  honor  emblem  during  the  first  two  weeks.  Not  a 
single  group  and  few  individuals  completed  their  full  number  of  projects 
during  this  period.  When  grading  was  done  for  the  first  two  weeks 
and  the  campers  saw  that  if  no  project  was  done  a  zero  was  the  grade, 
thereby  cutting  down  the  average  of  the  projects  that  might  be  done 
later,  they  became  more  eager  to  do  the  full  number.  Some  of  the 
most  alert  boys  soon  checked  up  and  saw  that  because  of  the  failure  to 
complete  group  projects  in  the  first  period  none  of  them  would  make 
the  750  points  (75%)  necessary  for  the  emblem  of  the  Order  of  the 
Silver  Star.  They  began  to  lag.  saying  it  was  little  use  to  try  further. 
Here  is  evidence  that  with  extrinsic  motivation,  interest  dies  when  the 
incentive  fails. 

In  order  to  avoid  a  lull  in  activities  and  a  slump  in  camp  spirit  and 
morale,  the  camp  council  voted  that  each  band  should  be  allowed  to 
make  up  two  group  projects  omitted  during  the  first  two  weeks.  Then 
routine  activities  carried  on  through  the  whole  camp  season,  such  as 
Sunday  School  Attendance,  Vespers,  and  School  Work,  were  classified 
as  group  projects  in  order  to  get  points,  and  incidentally,  emblems. 

The  grading  itself  demonstrated  the  difficulty  of  measuring  all 
achievements  on  a  numerical  scale.  Sometimes  a  small  project  vras 
done  very  well  and  received  a  high  mark  while  a  very'  hard  task  failed 
and  received  a  much  lower  mark  even  though  requiring  far  greater 
effort.  At  first,  groups  were  inclined  to  really  measure  efforts  care- 
fully and  conservatively,  giving  a  low  grade  for  a  poor  piece  of  work, 
but  soon  they  began  to  count  up  their  points  and  they  saw  that  each  of 
these  low  marks  lessened  the  chances  that  their  members  would  receive 
an  emblem  of  high  rank.  Thus  they  tended  to  grade  higher  and  higher 
with  decreasing  attention  to  true  evaluation  until  they  finally  reached 
the  point  where  they  clearly  wished  to  set  the  percentage  as  high  as 
their  counselor  would  pass  without  protest. 

Another  difficulty  was  the  rivalry  between  the  different  bands.  For 
example,  one  band  carried  through  a  very  difficult  project  from  which 
they  derived  real  benefit.  They  were  proud  of  their  achievement  and 
graded  it  high.  Other  bands  who  did  not  know  the  effort  required 
looked  upon  the  grade  as  an^  attempt  of  this  band  to  raise  the  standing 
of  its  members,  so  the  next  time  they  had  a  project  to  grade  they  raised 
it  in  order  to  keep  up  with  their  rival.  Perhaps  a  board  of  counselors 
could  have  graded  these  projects  fairer  and  more  efficiently,  but  no  one 
could  have  measured  such  intangible  values  numerically  in  a  satisfactory 
manner.     The  following  reproduction  of  a  Band  Record  Sheet  shows 


70 


Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 


the  rising  grades  on  both  group  and  individual  projects  toward  the  close 
of  the  season : 

SCY  CAMP  RECORD  SHEET* 

Band        Bob,  Leader  Thomas,  Band-Chkf 

First  Period 

NAME                        Physical        Intellectual        Devotional  Service 

Indv.    Group    Indv.     Group*  Indv.  Group*  Indv.     Group    Ave. 

Thomas   75          80         85          80         80  85  75                      70 

Marvin 75          80                      80  85  40 

Tom   75          80          75          80         80  85  75                      59 

John   80                      80  85  30 

Vick   80                      80  85  30 

Bill   80                      80  85  30 

♦These  projects  were  done  the  third  and  fourth  periods  to  make  up  for  projects 
missed  the  first  period. 

Second  Period 

Thomas   85          75          75         85  60          75  75 

Marvin 50         85                      75          75  75  45 

Tom   75          85                      75  75  39 

John   75          85                      75  75  39 

Vick   85          25          75  75  2,?> 

Bill   85          75          75          55  75  46 

Third  Period 

NAME                        Physical         Intellectual        Devotional  Service 

Indv.    Group    Indv.     Group    Indv.  Group    Indv.     Group    Ave. 

Thomas   88          30          93          95          85  85  85          40          75 

Marvin 85          30          75          95          80  85  75          40          70 

Tom   20          30         82          95          65  85  78          40         62 

John   20          30          65         95          75  85  90         40         62 

Vick   30         60         95          60  85  70         40          55 

Bill   82          30          50          95          70  85  70         40         65 

Lee   30                      95  85  70         40         30 

Fourth   Period 

Thomas   90          90          92          90         95  90  90          95          91 

Marvin 80         90          95          90         85  90  85          95          89 

Tom   90         90         83          90         90  90  93          95         90 

J»hn   75          90         70         90          50  90  95         70 

Vick   80         90          82          90         90  90  95          77 

Bill   90         90          78          90         85  90  85          95          88 

Lee   85          90         90         90         25  90  85          95          81 


Final  Averages 

Thomas   79%  which  entitles  him  to  Order  of  Silver  Star  Emblem. 

Marvin    61%  which  entitles  him  to  "SCY"  Emblem. 

Tom 

John 

Vick         48%  which  entitles  him  to  the  Red  C.    C.    T.    P.  Emblem. 

Bill 

Lee 


62%  which  entitles  him  to  "SCY"  Emblem. 
50%  which  entitles  him  to  "SCY"  Emblem. 
48%  which  entitles  him  to  the  Red  C.    C.    T. 
57%  which  entitles  him  to  "SCY"  Emblem. 
55%  which  entitles  him  to  "SCY"  Emblem. 


^Document   No.   6. 


A  Fixed  Program 


71 


It  will  be  noted  that  only  one  boy  in  this  band  won  the  Silver  Star 
emblem.  He  was  a  third  year  camper  and  had  been  a  Silver  Star  man 
the  year  before.  This  was  one  of  the  best  graded  groups  in  camp.  In 
order  to  keep  up  with  the  projects  selected  for  a  period  they  posted  them 
in  their  cabin  so  that  they  would  be  constant  reminders.  Below  is  a 
copy  of  such  a  reminder  sheet  for  the  fourth  period : 

SELECTED  PROJECTS— 4th  Period' 

Individual  Projects 

Group  Projects  Selected 


Name 

Physical 

Devotional 

Service 

Intellectual 

Thomas 

Make    a    talk    on 
Health  Habits. 

Learn    the    Books 
of  the  Bible. 

Read  Uganda's 
"White     Man     of 
Work." 

Examination  on  School 
Work  for  season. 

Marvin 

Be    graded    as    a 
hiker     for     camp 
season. 

Read  book  of 
Matthew. 

Water    fern-boxes 
every  day. 

Examination  (asabove) 

Tom 

Participate  in 
Tennis  Tourna- 
ment. 

Lead  cabin  devo- 
tions for  week. 

Mop  out  the  cab- 
in. 

Examinations,  etc. 

John 

Take    Life-Saving 
Tests. 

Daily  Personal  De- 
votional periods. 

Label    our   collec- 
tion  of  Birds' 

Nests. 

Examinations. 

Vick 

Take  swimming 

Tests. 

Read  the  Book  of 
John. 

Make     a     plaque 
naming    members 
of  band  on  it. 

Examinations. 

Bm 

Grade  on  my  hik- 
ing record  for  sea- 
son. 

Read  Book  of 

John. 

Care  for  the  Na- 
ture Lodge  a  week. 

Examinations. 

Lee 

Read  "Truths." 

Personal  De- 
votions  Daily. 

Clean    trail    back 
of  the  Cabin. 

Examination. 

Group  Projects  Selected 


Conduct  a  Track 

Grade    on    Group 

Build  a  Bridge 

Provide  for  Songs  for 

meet  for  the  whole 

Devotions  and 

over  creek  at  new 

Grand  Council. 

camp. 

Discussions   for 
Whole  Camp  sea- 
son. 

trail. 

The  counselors  and  directors  often  said  that  the  boys  were  lacking  in 
initiative,  but  they  certainly  found  a  number  of  ways  to  conform  to 
the  schemes  worked  out  for  them  by  the  adults  and  at  the  same  time 
to  do  a  lot  of  real  camping  very  much  to  their  own  satisfaction.  Since 
sorne  boys  wanted  the  emblems,  something  had  to  be  done  to  get  the 
necessary  points — even  if  they  had  to  grade  a  boy  on  his  personal  devo- 
tions, on  what  he  got  out  of  reading  the  book  of  Matthew,  or  on  the 
kind  of  hiker  he  proved  himself. 

'Document  No.  7. 


72  Organized  Canpping  and  Progressive  Education 

Counselors  felt  that  the  grading  had  been  unsatisfactory  and  that 
the  selection  of  the  projects  had  been  artificial.  They  had  lacked  skill 
in  helping  the  boys  find  real  projects.  Counselors,  constantly  asked  by 
the  boys  for  ideas,  turned  to  books  and  some  of  them  worked  out  lists 
of  suggested  projects  and  posted  them  on  the  cabin  bulletin  boards.  It 
will  be  easier  to  picture  the  nature  of  the  group  projects  by  Hsting  the 
projects  on  which  one  of  the  bands  graded  itself  for  the  summer : 

PHYSICAL 

1.  Conducting  a  series  of  swimming  meets  for  the  camp  in  which  each  member  of 
the  band  takes  part. 

2.  Activq  participation  in  Camp  Volley  Ball  League  promoted  by  another  band; 
teaching  all  members  of  the  band  to  play  and  keeping  them  in  the  game 
although  some  had  never  played  before  and  played  very  poorly. 

3.  Training  for  and  participation  in  a  Track  Meet  promoted  by  another  band; 
every  member  taking  part. 

INTELLECTUAL 

\.  Planning,  selecting,  purchasing  and  making  up  a  Camp  Kodak  Album  for  future 
use  of  the  camp.  Money  was  collected  by  fining  each  boy  for  each  time  he 
failed  to  make  his  bed  and  get  ready  for  sweeping  the  cabin  before  breakfast. 

2.  Study  Trees  of  the  Campus  and  Woods.  The  goal  was  to  learn  twenty-five 
trees  by  bark  and  leaves  and  to  make  up  a  display  of  leaf  prints  and  twigs. 

3.  Group  discussions  of  three  talks  on  Foreign  Work  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  given  to 
the  entire  camp. 

4.  Promotion  of  Health  Education  Day  in  camp  with  poster  exhibit,  lists  of  helpful 
books  and  a  forum  led  by  the  camp  doctor. 

SERVICE 

1.  Cleaning  up  and  beautifying  the  cabin  at  the  beginning  of  camp.  Fern  boxes 
were  made  and  filled  and  shrubs  set  out. 

2.  Planning  and  putting  on  an  evening  of  games,  each  boy  in  the  band  leading 
some  of  the  games. 

3.  Clearing  the  creek  of  debris  and  building  a  bridge  leading  to  the  baseball  field 
over  a  new  and  shorter  trail. 

4.  Locating,  clearing  and  smoothing  a  new  trail  to  the  Council  Ring  in  order  to 
avoid  some  barbwire  fencing  around  a  cow  range. 

DEVOTIONAL 

\.  Planning  and  conducting  a  Sunday  P'vening  Vesper  Service  for  the  whole 
camp,  each  boy  in  the  band  taking  part. 

2.  Group  discussion  on  the  place  of  the  Ten  Commandments  in  life  on  Sunday 
afternoon  after  movie  was  shown. 

3.  An  evaluation  discussion  of  the  band's  part  in  Sunday  School,  the  attitude  of 
members  toward  church  attendance,  and  the  values  of  the  evening  cabin 
devotions. 

4.  A  truth  meeting  in  which  boys  and  counselor  tell  each  boy  the  impressions  he 
makes  on  others  and  advises  him  where  he  is  strong  and  where  he  is  weak : 
habits,  good  and  bad.* 


'Document  No.  8. 


A  Fixed  Program  73 

Despite  the  imperfections  found  in  the  working  of  the  1925  pro^^ram 
it  was  considered  a  decided  improvement  over  the  previous  year.  A 
happy  group  of  campers  rating  it  a  good  camp. 

Some  Hnes  along  which  boys  grew  may  be  gleaned  from  their  state- 
ments made  at  the  close  of  camp.'' 

"Before  I  came  to  camp  I  did  not  care  for  the  study  of  nature ;  I  thought  it 
was  just  a  waste  of  time.  Now  I  have  learned  to  love  wild-life  and  the  beauty 
of  trees  and  flowers. 

"I  have  learned  that  it  is  always  worthwhile  to  try  to  help  someone,  even 
though  at  first  your  help  is  not  appreciated  and  seems  to  show  no  results ;  also  to 
think  before  expressing  yourself  in  word  or  deed;  to  control  your  feelings. 

"The  hikes  have  meant  most  to  me  for  they  bring  us  close  to  each  other  and 
we  come  to  know  other  boys  and  ourselves  better.  They  also  bring  you  into  the 
out-of-doors  and  close  to  God.  I  am  trying  harder  to  control  my  own  temper  and 
I  have  quit  trying  to  make  someone  else  'fly  off  the  handle'  just  for  fun. 

"My  ideas  on  religion  have  changed  greatly  since  coming  to  camp;  I  have 
learned  to  look  on  life  more  broadly  and  to  think  more  seriously.  I  have  learned 
more  of  the  realities  of  life  and  religion,  and  especially  have  I  learned  better  how 
to  treat  younger  boys. 

"I  have  learned  to  be  sociable;  also  to  go  to  church,  but  I  have  learned  that 
boys  do  not  act  according  to  what  they  pray  to  God  for. 

"I  have  learned  that  my  attitude  toward  my  brothers  and  sisters  is  not  right 
and  when  I  go  back  home  I  am  going  to  be  more  unselfish  toward  them.  I  think 
that  the  sportsmanship  and  friendship  of  the  campers  has  been  of  most  value  to 
me.     I  plan  to  be  more  loyal  and  obedient  to  my  parents  at  home. 

"I  have  resolved  to  control  my  temper  and  to  study  better;  in  our  discussions 
I  discovered  that  I  was  a  shirker  at  home  and  I  am  going  to  try  to  do  my  share 
of  the  duties  in  the  right  spirit  hereafter.  Our  cabin  devotions  helped  me  more 
than  anything  else  in  camp  this  summer  and  I  am  hoping  that  we  can  have  family 
devotions  in  our  home. 

"I  have  changed  my  attitude  toward  nature;  I  am  going  to  study  harder;  I 
hope  to  have  a  family  prayer  at  home  every  night. 

"When  I  get  home  I  intend  to  start  a  friendlier  and  more  brotherly  feeling 
among  my  boy  friends ;  I  plan  to  do  the  work  around  home  with  gladness  and 
cheerfulness  instead  of  acting  grouchy  when  asked  to  do  something.  I  think  the 
best  feature  of  the  camp  is  the  way  the  boys  are  allowed  to  pick  out  the  things 
they  want  to  do." 

Judging  from  these  statements  it  would  seem  that  some  real  values 
grew  out  of  these  camping  experiences.  The  counselors  were  pleased 
with  it,  yet  at  the  same  time  they  were  critical  of.  the  plan,  feeling  that 
camp  life  was  capable  of  something  much  better.  Real  probleins  for 
them  had  been,  to  determine  how  far  a  counselor  should  go  in  pushing 
a  boy  into  activity,  whether  there  was  any  value  in  awards  or  emblems, 
and  if  so.  to  determine  right  standards  of  work,  and  a  satisfactory 
grading  plan.  In  their  closing  discussions  the  staflf  made  the  following 
definite  suggestions:  (1)  campers  should  have  their  own  Sunday 
Services  in  camp;  (2)  a  good  handicraft  shop  should  be  established; 
(3)  that  nature  study  and  handicraft  should  be  given  in  the  morning 
hours  in  the  place  of  the  school  subjects  for  those  boys  who  did  not 
have  to  make  up  school  work. 

Document  No.  9. 


74  Organized  Camf'mg  and  Progressive  Education 

In  order  to  give  proper  emphases  to  various  lines  of  activity  and  to 
provide  many  suggestions  for  projects  with  a  maximum  of  boy  partici- 
pation in  the  planning,  the  staff  undertook  to  work  out  a  possible  scheme 
of  committees.  Eight  committees  with  their  responsibilities  and  duties 
were  planned  for  a — most  elaborate  organization.  Each  committee  was 
to  be  composed  of  one  counselor  who  was  especially  interested  in,  that 
activity,  and  one  boy  from  each  of  the  cabin  groups.  The  plan  con- 
templated having  every  boy  on  some  committee.  It  looked  well  on 
paper  but  was  scarcely  practical  since  some  boys  were  not  ready  for 
such  responsibility.  The  idea  of  more  boy  participation  in  planning 
and  conducting  the  program  was  the  important  thing  which  came  out 
of  the  discussions.  In  a  camp  of  fifty  or  less  this  could  l>e  brought 
about  without  so  much  organization. 

In  closing  the  1925  season  there  was  a  sense  of  satisfaction  that 
progress  had  been  made,  but  there  was  keen  realization  that  greater 
reward  would  result  from  renewed  study  and  experimentation. 


CHAPTER  V 

A  SELF-GOVERNING  CAMP  WITHOUT  AWARDS 

In  the  summer  of  1926  a  three-hour  course  in  Campcraft  was  offered 
at  Blue  Ridge  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Graduate  School  where  the  counselors 
of  Scy  Camp  were  enrolled.  Study  was  made  of  the  various  types  of 
camping,  of  the  specific  needs  of  local  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  inter-church 
camps,  but  the  particular  project  of  the  class  was  Scy  Camp.  This 
class  met  for  about  ten  days  before  the  opening  of  camp,  formulated 
the  policy,  and  discussed  problems  of  administration.  The  man  who 
had  led  the  planning  in  1925  taught  this  course  and  replaced  the  "Head 
Master"  as  Camp  Director. 

Each  counselor  was  to  be  given  full  responsibility  as  Camp  Director 
for  one  week,  the  other  members  of  the  class  were  to  discuss  and  criti- 
cize his  administration. 

A  New  Policy 

The  general  policy  was  that  the  democratic  idea  should  be  followed 
just  as  far  as  possible ;  that  the  only  absolute  "requirements"  were  eat- 
ing, sleeping,  and  the  school  work  requested  by  parents.  Planning  the 
program  and  formulating  it  were  to  be  done  in  Camp  Conferences,  in 
which  the  boys,  counselors,  and  directors  could  take  part  on  an  equal 
basis,  the  counselor  in  charge  for  the  week  serving  as  chairman.  This 
enabled  the  counselors  to  offer  suggestions  and  to  put  their  experiences 
before  the  group,  but  they  could  not  out-vote  the  boys.  Final  decisions 
were  left  to  the  boys,  but  they  were  guided  decisions. 

In  determining  this  policy  the  counselors  considered  philosophy  and 
principles  of  education.  They  studied  especially  Dewey,  Thorndike, 
Gregg,  Kilpatrick,  and  Collings.^  These  studies  seemed  to  warrant  a 
wide  departure  from  the  academic  procedure  of  camping,  where  the 
director  and  counselors  set  up  the  program  and  wrote  out  all  the  details. 
None  of  the  counselors  were  experienced  or  skilled  in  the  technique  of 
leading  a  group  on  the  democratic  plan,  a  fact  which  would  necessarily 
limit  the  success  of  the  enterprise. 

The  following  report  made  by  a  committee  and  adopted  by  the  coun- 
selor group  expresses  their  accepted  theory  for  motivating  activity : 

HOW  TO  GET  MOTIVATION  AND  INITIATIVE  IN  A  PROGRAM 

1.  The  only  real  motivation  is  by  suggestive  situations  to  lead  the  boy  to  purpose 
the  thing  to  be  done.     This  means'  that  the  boy  himself  must  be  interested  in  it 

*De-wey,  John ;  Democracy  and  Education ;  Thorndike,  E.  L. ;  Educational  Psy- 
chology;  Gregg,  A.  J.;  Group  Leaders  and  Boy  Character;  Kilpatrick,  W.  H. ; 
Foundation  of  Method ;  Ceilings,  Ellsworth ;  An  Experiment  With  A  Project 
Curriculum. 

75 


Td  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

because  it  will  fill  an  immediately  felt  need.  Not  only  must  the  activity  be 
of  immediate  value  but  it  must  be  adapted  to  the  boy's  powers  and  experience, 
then  its  achievement  will  bring  satisfaction;  while  an  effort  at  a  more  difficult 
activity  may  bring  failure  and  annoyance. 
2.  The  activity  or  project,  in  order  to  develop  initiative  must  be  such  as  to 
stimulate  interest  in  other  and  varied  experiences  and  cause  the  boy  to  desire 
them.  Freedom  to  carry  out  the  suggested  desirable  activities  after  careful 
consideration  is  necessary.  The  leader  or  teacher  may  very  readily  stifle  initia- 
tive of  the  boys  by  not  allowing  this  freedom — assuming  that  he  knows  what 
is  best  and  making  the  decisions  for  them. 

The  leader's  part  is  to  lead  the  boys  to  see  the  proposed  activity  in  all  its  details 
and  to  face  the  task  sensibly — to  make  a  plan  before  jumping  in,  and  thus  to 
avoid  failure  and  disappointment  later.  The  leader  can  do  this  through  sug- 
gestions or  questions  in  the  discussions  as  a  member  of  the  group,  or  in  con- 
ference with  individual  boys. 

Rewards,  prizes,  etc.,  have  little  if  any  place  in  real  motivation,  or  in  developing 
initiative.  The  fact  that  they  are  necessary  to  get  boys  to  undertake  an  activity 
means  that  the  boy  does  not  see  where  that  activity  fills'  an  immediate  need  in 
his  life,  and  goes  into  it  only  when  artificially  stimulated  by  hope  of  reward. 
Tlie  reward  and  not  the  activity  is  central.' 

The  counselors  committed  themselves  to  oppose  the  use  of  any 
emblem  award  system.  They  realized,  however,  that  since  an  emblem 
award  system  had  been  used  for  the  first  three  years  of  the  camp,  the 
boys  would  probably  expect  and  demand  it  again.  They  planned,  there- 
fore, to  give  each  boy  who  came  to  camp  a  small  sweater  emblem  at  the 
beginning  to  indicate  that  he  was  enrolled  in  Scy  Camp  and  then  to 
await  developments.  If  the  question  of  honor  emblems  came  up  later. 
there  would  be  a  chance  for  discussion  in  conference,  with  the  final 
decision  resting  on  the  boys. 

Camp  Conferences 

Camp  opened  on  Friday  evening  with  a  program  of  games,  stunts, 
songs,  introductions  and  nicknames.  At  the  close  of  this  program 
various  ways  of  running  a  camp  were  discussed  and  the  boys  expressed 
a  preference  for  the  democratic  idea  as  explained  by  the  Student  Camp 
Director.  At  the  first  Camp  Conference  on  Saturday  evening  after  a 
period  of  fun,  the  question  of  schedule  was  raised,  and  each  item  was 
discussed  and  settled  by  vote  of  the  entire  camp.  The  schedule  with  a 
few  significant  changes  from  previous  years  was  adopted  with  provision 
that  it  might  be  changed  by  the  vote  of  a  camp  conference 

This  first  real  camp  conference  was  entered  into  with  seriousness  by 
most  of  the  boys.  Some  of  them  wanted  to  see  how  free  they  were, 
really  to  decide  things  for  themselves.  One  boy  moved  that  they  have 
reveille  at  9  o'clock.  The  Camp  Director  seconded  his  motion  with 
the  remark  that  it  would  save  the  camp  one  meal  a  day.  The  motion 
was  duly  discussed,  voted  upon  and  lost. 

The  second  conference  was  held  on  Sunday  evening  for  the  purpose 
of  group  organization.  The  procedure  followed  the  previous  summer 
was  used.     Band-Chiefs  were  elected  and  the  bands   (cabin  groups) 

'Document  No.   10. 


A  Self-Governing  Camp  IViihout  Award);  77 

were  chosen  by  them.  At  the  first  group  conference  period  Monday 
afternoon  each  band  organized,  and  selected  a  totem  and  a  name. 

Many  of  the  boys  were  slow  to  take  an  active  part;  in  cruni)  confer- 
ences, and  counselors  made  many  suggestions.  'Fhere  were  so  many 
things  to  be  planned,  and  the  boys  so  little  accustomed  to  the  responsi- 
bility of  planning  their  own  activities,  that  the  camp  i)rogram  seemed 
to  move  slowly.  A  morning  camp  conference  sometimes  adjourned 
with  no  plans  made  for  afternoon  or  evening  activities.  When  the  boys 
asked  the  counselors  what  they  were  going  to  do  at  one  of  these  un- 
planned periods  it  was  pointed  out  to  them  that  there  were  several  things 
that  could  have  been  done,  if  they  had  planned  for  them  at  conference. 

A  thing  that:  brought  them  to  the  realization  of  their  responsibilitv 
for  the  program  more  definitely  than  just  a  lack  of  a  planned  program 
for  some  evening  was  the  question  of  movies.  It  had  Ijeen  a  custom 
to  provide  movies  for  each  Saturday  evening.  Counselors,  although 
conceding  it  might  be  well  to  have  movies  another  year,  wished  to  sub- 
stitute dramatics.  If  the  boys  demanded  them,  however,  movies  were 
to  be  furnished.  At  the  end  of  the  first  week  movies  had  not  been 
mentioned  in  conferences.  The  boys  had  taken  it  for  granted  that  the 
movies  would  be  provided  without  consulting  them,  but  no  movies  were 
put;  on.  They  had  made  no  plans  for  them.  At  the  next  camp  con- 
ference a  motion  was  carried  to  have  a  committee  appointed  to  make 
arrangements  for  movies.  This  was  done  and  thereafter  a  picture  was 
shown  each  Saturday  evening. 

Some  boys  made  motions  "that  we  have"  so  and  so  or  "that  we  do" 
so  and  so,  but  they  soon  learned  that  someone  had  to  be  made  responsi- 
ble for  everything  if  it  was  to  be  done.  Their  motions  changed  to,  "I 
move  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to,"  and  their  definite  learnings  on 
how  to  carry  on  business  was  rapid. 

Minutes  for  two  typical  camp  conferences,  those  of  July  1  and  2, 
are  given  below  to  indicate  planning  done : 

Camp  conference  called  to  order  by  C.  E.,  counselor  directing  for  the  week. 
Minutes  were  read  and  approved.  The  committee  on  finding  a  supply  of  rhcxlo- 
dendron  to  cut  was  not  ready  to  complete  its  report. 

Joe  had  no  report  ready  on  proposed  trip  to  Catawba  Falls.  (It  had  been 
reported  that  the  grounds  were  closed  to  visitors.)  Motion  made  to  go  on  an 
overnight  hike  to  Webb's  Tower.     Carried. 

Motion  made  and  carried  that  the  chairman  appoint  a  commitiee  to  arrange 
details  for  hike.     Guy,  West  and  Perry  were  appointed  on  this  committee. 

Motion  made  and  carried  that  the  chairman  appoint  a  cotnmittec  of  two  to 
bring  in  a  report  on  how  to  take  care  of  oneself  on  an  overnight  hike.  George 
and  Booth  appointed.     Joe  elected  to  lead  the  hike. 

Motion  made  and  carried  to  have  a  committee  appointed  to  make  arrangements 
for  securing  the  moving  picture  machine  and  for  getting  films.  Camp  Director, 
Tom  and  Bill  were  appointed. 

Motion  made  and  carried  to  have;  a  committee  appointed  as  a  standing  com- 
mittee on  hikes,  to  look  out  for  new  ones  and  to  report  back  to  the  conference  as 
to  suitable  dates   for  each  hike.     Bob,  Laurence,  John.  Shorty  and  Ted. 

Motion  was  made  and  carried  to  ask  committee  on  details  for  Webb  Tower 
hike  to  report  at  Council  Ring  the  same  evening. 


78  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

Authority  to  elect  a  captain  and  manager  for  baseball  given  to  those  who  go 
out  to  make  the  team.  Motion  made  and  carried  to  have  a  committee  appointed 
to  make  a  general  athletic  program  for  camp.  (Standing  committee}  Stuart,  Clviir- 
man  ;  Tom,  Bax,  John  and  "Chief"  appointed. 

Motion  carried  to  adjourn. 

July  2,  1926. 

Meeting  called  to  order  by  C.  E.  Minutes  read  and  approved.  Motion  made 
and  carried  that  the  hike  should  be  carried  out  as  planned  unless  the  rain  con- 
tinued until  after  four  o'clock.  Committee  on  how  to  care  for  oneself  on  hike 
needed  more  time.  Committee  on  how  to  celebrate  the  Fourth  of  July  not  ready 
to  report.     Motion  passed  to  extend  their  time  to  July  3. 

Moving  picture  show  committee  reported  that  arrangements  were  being  made 
and  that  the  first  show  would  probably  be  given  Saturday  evening.  No  report 
ready  from  the  committee  on  securing  a  supply  of  rhododendron. 

Motion  made  and  carried  that  bands  sit  together  in  the  conference  in  the  same 
relative  positions  which  they  occupy  in  the  council  ring. 

Committee  on  how  to  care  for  oneself  on  hike  reported.  Their  report  approved 
and  commended. 

Motion  made  that  the  camp  approve  the  establishment  of  a  rifle  rangei  failed 
to  pass.  Motion  made  and  carried  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  work  out  an 
archery  range,  equipment  and  details.     Herbert,  Jimmie  and  Sam  were  appointed. 

Moved  and  passed  to  adjourn.' 

All  these  motions  came  up  for  discussion  and  were  frequentl)'  spoken 
to  by  both  boys  and  leaders.  On  a  busy  day  it  was  not  so  easy  for  a 
secretary  to  keep  up  with  the  business.  A  fifteen-year-old  boy  who 
had  not  had  previous  experience  was  selected  as  Camp  Conference  Sec- 
retary. After  the  first  three  or  four  meetings  he  offered  his  resigna- 
tion, declaring  he  could  not  keep  up.  The  conference  refused  to  accept 
his  resignation  but  voted  to  give  him  an  assistant.  One  of  the  coun- 
selors was  elected  assistant  secretary. 

The  way  in  which  things  grew  out  of  the  cainp  conferences  may  well 
be  illustrated  by  the  development  of  the  interest  in  archery.  Some  boys 
brought  up  in  camp  conference  the  subject  of  a  rifle  range.  In  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  motion  archery  was  mentioned,  and  was  so  popular  that 
the  rifle  range  motion  was  defeated  and  archery  approved.  The  com- 
mittee appointed  on  archery  read  archery  books,  wrote  to  companies 
about  supplies,  reported  back  to  the  conference  the  different  kinds  of 
wood  available  and  the  prices  of  sets.  In  fact,  they  organized  a  group 
of  boys  who  were  especially  interested  in  archery,  collected  the  money, 
and  ordered  supplies.  Members  of  this  group  helped  each  other  in  mak- 
ing the  bows  and  arrows,  made  the  targets  and  conducted  regular  prac- 
tice. The  only  time  counselors  were  actually  called  upon  for  more  than 
suggestions  was  when  they  were  asked  to  serve  as  officials  at  the  archery 
tournament.  The  bows  were  fine  and  the  boys  were  proud  of  their 
work.  Their  satisfaction  came  from  the  thing  done — the  achievement ; 
no  prizes  had  been  offered  and  there  was  no  point  systetn  to  transform 
their  interest  into  academic  credits. 

Among  the  important  things  that  came  up  in  the  early  conferences 
were :  provision  and  rules  for  daily  inspection  of  lodges  and  grounds ; 


'Document  No.   11. 


A  Self -Governing  Camp  Without  Awards  79 

council  ring;  rules  for  court  procedure,  a  set  of  canii)  rules;  hours  for 
visiting  the  store ;  and  a  limit  to  the  amount  that  might  he  spent  per 
week  for  sweets. 

Group  Conferences 

The  bands  also  held  their  own  meetings  and  made  plans  for  their 
own  group  activities.  Some  bands  wrote  up  their  minutes  rather  care- 
fully, while  others  rarely  did  so.  The  boys  of  one  band  took  turns  by 
the  week  in  writing  up  these  minutes. 

This  band  also  made  certain  rules  for  the  conduct  of  its  own  cabin 
members,  which  supplemented  the  general  camp  rules.  Some  of  these 
concerned  duties  to  the  band. 

Things  for  which  members  of  this  band  were  fined  were:  (1)  care- 
lessness that  resulted  in  a  low  mark  for  their  cabin  on  inspection ; 
(2)  for  leaving  drawers  open  in  the  clothes  closet,  and  (3)  for  throw- 
ing shoes.  For  certain  other  ofTenses  they  threw  a  member  "into  the 
creek."  After  a  while  some  money  was  accumulated  in  the  treasury. 
The  following  discussion  was  entered  in  their  minutes : 

7-21-26. 

Group  called  to  order  in  Lincoln  cabin.  Question  raised  on  going  to  Black 
Mountain  to  a  movie,  using  the  money  from  the  treasury  Discussed  what  would 
come  of  it  and  decided  not  to  go  because  it  would  start  an  unwanted  thing  in 
camp,  that  of  going  away  to  a  show.  It  was  also  shown  that  since  we  have 
movies  in  camp  every  Saturday,  we  do  noil  need  to  go  during  the  week.  Group 
decided  not  to  spend  the  money  at  present  but  to  wait  until  some  future  time.' 

The  Camp  Government  In  Operation 

The  wide  range  of  ages,  11  to  18,  made  it  difficult  to  work  the  group 
conference  plan. 

Younger  boys  did  not  take  so  much  interest  in  discussions  and 
sometimes  thought  the  conferences  long  and  tiresome.  For  two  weeks 
all  campers  took  for  granted  that  everyone  had  to  attend  the  camp 
conferences.  When  this  belief  was  discovered  it  was  made  clear  to 
them  that  the  conferences,  unless  specially  called  for  all,  were  voluntary. 
Only  officers  and  the  band-chief,  or  a  representative  from  each  band 
had  to  attend.  After  this  explanation  camp  conferences  ceased  to  be 
endured  as  necessary,  but  there  was  enough  interest  to  keep  a  good 
attendance. 

Organization  was  completed  during  the  first  two  weeks,  so  a  camp 
conference  ever}'  day  became  unnecessary.  Three  a  week  were  found 
to  be  sufficient.  The  counselors  and  band-chiefs  met  on  other  days  to 
prepare  recommendations  for  the  conferences.  This  representative 
council  did  much  preliminary  planning  and  avoided  waste  of  time  in 
campi  conferences.  This  camp  council  later  came  to  assume  the  func- 
tion of  an  executive  committee,  handling  especially  the  matters  of  dis- 
cipline or  enforcement  of  camp  rules  and  conference  decisions. 


'Document  No.   12. 


80  Organized  Camming  and  Progressive  Education 

One  evening  at  "Taps"  one  of  the  counselors  stepped  into  a  certain 
cabin  to  return  a  knife  he  had  borrowed.  Three  of  the  larger  boys 
were  not  there  and  the  others  did  not  know  where  they  were.  Since 
the  cabin  counselor  was  out  of  camp  that  evening  report  was  made  to 
the  counselor-director  for  the  week  that  he  might  investigate  and  learn 
what  had  happened  to  the  boys. 

About  a  half -hour  later  the  boys  came  in.  When  the  counselor- 
director  stepped  into  their  cabin  one  of  them  jumped  into  bed  with  his 
clothes  on.  The  counselor-director  turned  the  light  on  and  inquired 
where  they  had  been.  They  said  that  they  had  gone  to  Black  Mountain 
to  a  picture  show.  This  was  in  violation  of  a  regulation  passed  in  camp 
conference  stating  that  no  one  should  leave  the  grounds  without  regis- 
tering out  with  the  counselor-director  and  giving  destination  and  pur- 
pose of  the  trip.  The  boy  who  jumped  into  bed  with  his  clothes  on  had 
had  two  summers  in  a  military  camp,  and  had  stated  before  that  he  did 
not  believe  "a  fellow  could  get  shipped  from  Scy  Camp." 

Below  is  the  procedure  followed  in  this  case.  First,  the  Camp  Di- 
rector called  the  three  boys  and  talked  it  over  with  them.  They  agreed 
that  the  rule  was  valuable  and  necessary  and  that  they  had  been  very 
thoughtless  to  violate  it — that  if  a  call  or  telegram  had  come  in  for  them 
it  would  have  embarrassed  the  camp  not  to  have  been  able  to  locate 
them. 

It  was  explained  to  thpm  that  it  was  the  purpose  of  this  camp  to 
help  fellows  gain  self-control  and  become  men — not  "to  ship  them" — 
that  to  ship  them  was  the  easiest  thing  to  do,  but  this  meant  that  the 
camp  had  admitted  failure. 

A  day  or  two  later  the  case  was  brought  before  the  council.  The 
case  was  stated  without  calling  any  names  and  the  opinion  of  each 
member  was  called  for.  All  agreed  that  it  was  a  serious  breach  of  camp 
rules  and  deserved  a  severe  penalty.  One  of  the  guilty  ones  was  a 
member  of  the  council  and  thus  had  to  judge  his  own  case,,  but  never- 
theless voted  for  a  heavy  penalty.  Several  suggestions  were  made  re- 
garding a  proper  penalty.  The  plan  adopted  was  to  explain  to  these 
boys  that  by  violating  camp  regulations,  they  had  forfeited  whatever 
honors  the  camp  might  have  bestowed  upon  them.  This  meant  that 
these  boys  would  give  up  their  letters  in  athletics.  This  was  the  one 
foitn  of  emblem  award  the  camp  conference  had  voted  to  have.  They 
would  be  allowed  to  participate  in  meets  and  tournaments  in  order  to 
win  honors  for  their  bands  but  no  personal  recognition  could  he  given 
to  them. 

The  three  boys  declared  the  penalty  was  severe,  but  just.  When  the 
council  had  made  its  decision,  another  member  of  the  council,  who  had 
been  voted  the  "Gold  Star"  man  of  camp  the  year  before,  stated  that 
he,  too,  had  on  one  occasion  left  camp  without  permission  and  accepted 
the  same  penalty.  Still  another  older  boy  took  the  same  stand  the  next 
day. 

After  the  decision  was  made,!  these  five  boys  gave  their  best  to  win 
for  their  bands.     They  worked  as  hard  as  they  could  have  done  for 


A  Self-Govcrning  Camp  Wilhout  Awards  81 

personal  honors.  Their  acceptance  of  the  penalty  came  to  stand  out 
in  the  experience  of  the  campers,  for  discipline,  honesty,  and  real 
sportsmanship. 

The  Woodcraft  Program 

Council  Ring  programs  which  the  boys  voted  for  Monday  and 
Thursday  evenings  of  each  week  furnished  occasion  for  new  and  inter- 
esting projects.  But  few  boys  failed  to  respond  to  the  spirit  of  wood- 
craft. The  following  Tally  written  by  a  thirteen-Year-Old  boy  of 
the  Light  Heart  Band  will  indicate  the  procedure  of  Councils : 

TALLY 

On  the  23d  Sun  of  the  Thunder  Moon  tlie  Scy  Camp  Tribe  of  the  Wood- 
craft League  of  America  met  in  council  with  "Chief"  at  the  Council  Rock. 
"Cheeky"  of  the  Blazing  Star  Band  was  appointed  lire  keeper  and  "Pistol  Pete" 
of  the  Light  Heart  Band  was  appointed  Tally-Keeper  for  the  evening. 

Some  birds  were  heard  in  the  distance  and  Chief  gave  some  facts  about  them. 
Then  the  roll  was  called. 

The  Tally  for  last  meeting  was  then  read  by  Harry;  was  corrected  and 
approved.  There  was  no  business  arising  out  of  the  Tally  and  Scout  reports  were 
given  as  follows  :  Joe  reported  on  the  ten-petaled  Sunflower ;  John  found  a  bug 
and  passed  it  around  to  see  if  it  could  be  identified ;  Harry  reported  on  the  Hoary 
Mountain  Mint;  Laurence,  the  Brown  Thrasher;  "Shorty,"  the  Buzzard;  other 
boys  gave  information  about  the  buzzard;  Sam  reported  on  the  Blue  Bird;  Booth, 
on  caterpillars  and  cocoons. 

Chief  passed  around  some  seeds  with  a  challenge  to  identify  them.  Edd.  finally 
named  them  as  the  seed  of  the  Sweet  Shrub.  "Papa"  told  about  the  museums  in 
Washington,  seen  on  his  recent  trip.  Bill  told  about  the  Bee  Balm  or  Oswego 
Tea  and  Chief  told  us  how  an  old  lady  used  it  to  catch  humming  birds.  Herbert's 
brother  was  then  introduced  to  the  council  as  a  visitor. 

Reports  of  initiations  were  made  and  the  following  articles  of  handicraft  were 
approved  and  passed  by  the  council :  Herbert,  the  Flaming  Arrow  Totem ;  Edd., 
Bark  Bird  House ;  Perry,  a  lamp,  on  condition  he  put  in  his  electric  fixtures : 
Joe,  a  lamp  complete  with  fixtures ;  Harry,  a  log  cabin  Bird  House ;  he  explained 
how  the  log  cabin  was  made. 

Herbert  led  some  games,  the  first  of  which  was  a  Talk-Fest  in  which  Jimmie 
won  over  Harry.  Tom  won  over  Richard  in  a  game  of  Clap  Hands.  In  Chinese 
Get-up,  "Pistol  Pete"  won  over  Less  and  Bill  v/on  over  Tommie.  Stick  Pull-up 
was  then  played  by  Henry  and  Sam,  and  Sam  won. 

Quincy  found  a  Devil's  Horse  going  across  the  Council  Ring  about  this  time 
and  passed  it  around  for  all  to  see.  Will  and  Gordon  then  played  Pull  Stick  and 
Gordon  won. 

Tom  led  several  songs  and  then  the  Council  closed  with  a'  short  prayer  from 
each  band.* 

While  all  campers  were  considered  members  of  the  tribe,  it  was 
understood  that  to  become  real  Woodcrafters  the  woodcraft  initiation 
tests  must  be  completed.  One  of  these  was  a  silence  test  which  re- 
quired that  the  camper  keep  silent  for  six  hours  during  the  daj^ime 
while  taking  part  in  the  various  activities  of  camp.  To  pass  the  handi- 
craft test  a  boy  had  to  complete  an  article  which  showed  some  sknll  of 
workmanship  with  his  hands  and  present  it  to  the  council  for  approval. 

'Document  No.   13. 


82  Organized  Ca?nfing  and  Progressive  Education 

All  candidates  for  Wayseeker  rank  were  required  to  learn  well  how  to 
build  a  fire  with  twigs  from  the  woods  and  to  know  the  Woodcraft 
Laws.  "Good  natured"  tests  requiring  that  a  person  go  through  the 
day  with,  unruffled  temper  and  give  a  smiling  answer  to  all  no  matter 
what  happened,  were  sometimes  prescribed  by  a  band  for  a  member 
who  seemed  to  be  "tempery."  For  the  boy  with  an  overdeveloped 
"sweet  tooth,"  a  sweets  test  which  required  foregoing  all  candy  for 
two  weeks  was  often  invoked. 

When  tests  had  been  passed  the  camper  was  duly  installed  as  a 
Wayseeker  at  a  Grand  Council  and  then  he  might  purchase  and  wear 
the  Woodcraft  pin.  Grand  Councils  were  more  elaborate  than  regular 
councils.  Visitors  were  invited  and  Indian  dances  and  plays  were 
given. 

Problems 

At  the  very  mid-point  of  the  summer  when  everything  seemed  set 
for  a  splendid  closing  month,  there  came  a  full  week  of  rain  allowing 
practically  no  outdoor  activity  except  swimming.  The  lethargy  and 
inertia  developed  during  that  week  carried  over  into  the  next.  The 
boys  finally  began  to  realize  that  the  closing  of  camp  was  near.  For 
two  weeks  they  had  voted  to  postpone  previously  scheduled  events  when 
they  decided  that  they  really  wanted  to  do  many  planned  projects. 
Completing  all  of  the  activities  planned  for  the  last  month  during  the 
last  two  weeks  made  the  usual  rush  toward  the  close.  Counselors 
learned  from  this  to  use  a  large  blackboard  on  which  to  post  events 
when  planned  and  scheduled  by  the  conference.  They  could  not  then 
be  consciously  forgotten,  postponed,  or  crowded  out. 

Two  events  of  the  week  of  rain  seem  worthy  of  especial  mention — 
the  "Apple  Fight"  and  the  "Chimney  Rock  Hike."  The  Grand  Council 
which  had  been  planned  for  a  Monday  evening  had  to  be  called  off  at 
supper  because  of  the  downpour  of  rain,  leaving  no  other  activity 
planned  for  the  evening,  nor  did  the  boys  seem  to  want  to  plan  anything. 
A  little  before  dark  two  or  three  boys  passing  near  an  apple  tree  that 
grew  on  the  campus  picked  up  some  apples  and  tossed  them  across  the 
campus  at  some  other  boys.  They  returned  the  fire  and  soon  there 
were  six  or  seven  boys  on  each  side.  One  group  went  into  a  cabin, 
pulled  the  curtains  and  the  battle  continued  until  the  group  outside 
finally  got  up  courage  to  make  a  raid  on  the  cabin.  They  thought  it 
good  fun  and  none)  of  them  were  injured.  From  the  lx)ys'  viewpoint 
a  bigger  battle  seemed  desirable  the  following  evening.  All  day,  quietly 
and  more  or  less  secretly,  preparations  were  made.  Ammunition  (ap- 
ples) was  collected  and  stored.  By  evening  the  two  groups  had  each 
enlisted  more  boys  and  were  fairly  well  organized.  When  the  time 
came  for  planning  activities  for  the  evening  they  wanted  to  have  an 
apple-fight. 

Here  was  a  real  problem  for  the  staff  and  especially  for  the  man  in 
charge  as  counselor-director-for-the-week.  Should  he  allow  the  group 
to  determine  the   question,   or   should   he   tell   them   it   would   not   be 


A  Self -Governing  Camp  Without  Aioards  83 

allowed?  The  latter  course  would  be  an  autocratic  suppression  and 
would  injure  the  whole  morale  of  the  grouj)  unless  there  was  sufiticiently 
convincing  reasons  for  it.  How  far  could  the  group  he  allowed  to  go 
in  making  a  mistake  if  they  could  learn  by  it  in  the  end?  In  the  usual 
full  and  free  discussion  the  counselors  pointed  out  the  dangers  involved, 
and  suggested  other  games  of  a  similar  nature  but  less  dangerous. 

In  the  end  the  decision  was  to  have  the  apple-fight  but  to  have  a 
committee  appointed  to  draw  up  rules  to  see  that  it  was  carried  on 
fairly  and  without  anger,  with  good  sportsmanship,  and  to  make  such 
rules  as  would  safeguard  against  serious  injuries.  This  committee 
elected  by  the  camp  conference  was  composed  of  the  five  band-chiefs 
and  one  counselor.  The  rules  were  made  and  adopted  giving  each 
party  its  turn  in  defending  a  vacant  cabin  for  45  minutes.  It  grew 
dark  and  the  rain  poured  down,  but  the  boys  went  into  the  fray.  Both 
groups  had  grown  tired  long  before  the  first  45  minutes  were  up.  They 
quit  b}'  mutual  agreement  and  no  more  suggestions  of  apple-fights  were 
heard.  Of  course  there  were  a  few  bruises  and  sore  spots,  but  no 
injuries  of  consequence. 

For  the  close  of  that  week  a  hike  to  Chimney  Rock  had  been  planned, 
to  leave  Thursday  afternoon  and  to  return  on  Saturday  morning,  spend- 
ing both  Thursday  and  Friday  nights  at  Flat  Creek  Falls.  The  rain 
continued  to  pour  through  Thursday  morning,  and  before  eleven  o'clock, 
the  Camp  Director  and  two  of  the  counselors  acting  as  a  committee 
sent  word  around  camp  calling  ofif  the  hike.  Immediately  a  committee 
of  boys  formed  to  see  the  Director.  He  had  no  right  to  call  ofT  the  hike 
without  consulting  them,  they  argued.  Despite  the  protest  of  some  of 
the  parents  summering  nearby,  the  counselors'  decision  was  to  let 
seasoned  hikers  go.  Eighteen  boys  and  two  counselors  set  out  in  the 
rain,  made  the  hike  and  returned,  still  in  the  rain,  being  sheltered  only 
while  they  slept  Thursday  and  Friday  nights.  Some  mothers  who  were 
on  the  Blue  Ridge  grounds  at  the  time  were  very  much  worried,  but 
the  boys  declared  they  had  enjoyed  it  immensly.  They  had  met  and 
overcome  obstacles,  and  they  returned  to  camp  with  a  satisfaction  that 
comes  with  the  sense  of  victory.  Who  can  say  that  the  "superior 
judgment"  of  the  counselors  should  have  been  exercised  to  deprive  them 
of  this  opportunity?  What  would  they  really  have  learned  if  their 
plans  had  been  suppressed  by  authoritative  direction  of  the  Camp 
Director  ?     Were  the  hazards  to  health  too  great  to  permit  such  a  hike  ? 

New  Interests  In  Camp 

Certainly  one  of  the  inspiring  and  beautiful  things  about  the  activi- 
ties boys  entered  into  during  the  summer  was  the  fact  that  when  some- 
thing was  suggested  one  never  heard  the  boy  saying.  "What'll  I  get  if  I 
do  this?"  Few  boys  seemed  to  miss  the  emblem  award  system.  Two 
or  three  boys  who  had  won  high  recognition  the  previous  year  men- 
tioned emblems  once  or  twice  in  camp  conference  during  the_  first  two 
weeks  but  thev  never  got  sufficient  attention  to  bring  a  discussion  to  rhc 


84  Organized  Canvping  and  Progressive  Education 

floor  of  the  conference.  Activities  were  entered  into  for  personal  in- 
terest or  for  the  good  of  the  group.  The  oldj  question  of  "What  will 
I  get?"  and  the  attitudes  that  went  with  it  largely  disappeared. 

This  made  for  a  spontaniety  of  interest  which  showed  in  Handicraft 
and  Nature  Study  more  markedly  than  anywhere  else.  The  workshop 
was  occupied  at  all  free  periods  and  the  tools  were  always  busy.  Hun- 
dreds of  articles  were  made,  mostly  from  such  rustic  woods  as  rhodo- 
dendron and  mountain  laurel. 

A  plentiful  supply  of  this  wood  was  obtained  by  the  camp  from  a 
neighboring  lady  who  wished  a,  natural  park  cleaned  out  and  thinned. 
The  boys  planned  and  did  both  of  these  services. 

The  most  popular  articles  made  from  rhododendron  and  laurel  roots 
and  trunks  were  table  and  reading  lamps,  fitted  with  electric  fixtures. 
Other  articles  were:  bud  vases,  ink  wells,  blotter  blocks,  candle  stands 
or  holders  of  various  types,  calendar  holders,  bird  houses,  paddle  wheels, 
log  cabins,  bows  and  arrows,  book  ends,  settings  for  clocks,  napkin 
rings,  picture  frames  of  various  types,  paper  knives,  letter  files,  tie 
holders,  hall  trees,  totem  poles,  rustic  sign  boards,  rustic  tables  and 
benches,  rustic  hammocks  and  fruit  bowls. 

Among  the  outstanding  group  projects  were:  (1)  the  building!  of  a 
rock-pile  cross  incinerator  for  camp  by  the  White  Mountain  Band ; 
(2)  the  building  of  a  second  row  of  seats  for  visitors  at  the  council 
ring  by  the  same  band,  and  (3)  the  erection  of  a  large  rustic  arch  gate- 
way over  the  entrance  to  camp,  by  the  Light  Heart  band. 

One  unattached  counselor,  cleared  the  ground,  and  buiiti  a  beautiful 
outdoor  chapel  facing  the  setting  sun  and  the  Great  Craggy  Mountains. 

In  previous  years  no  regular  period  had  been  found  for  Nature 
Study,  but  this  year  boys  who  were  not  behind  their  class  in  any  school 
subject  might  elect  nature  study  for  the  regular  school  period.  Ten 
boys  carried  this  through  and  most  of  them  developed  a  keen  interest 
in  it.  It  was  impossible  during  eight  weeks  of  camp  to  take!  up  many 
of  the  phases  of  nature  study,  but  the  attitudes  toward  it  were  most 
favorable. 

A  twelve-year-old  boy  who  had  been  voted  the  fattest  and  laziest  boy 
in  camp  the  year  before,  completely  overcame  his  lethargy  as  he  entered 
into  archery,  woodcraft  and  nature  study.  He  learned  45  wild  flowers 
and  21  trees  during  the  summer.  Here  is  what  he  wrote  about  his  new 
interest : 

I  have  never  taken  nature  study  before  and  I  have  learned  a  great  deal  about 
flowers,  trees,  birds,  mushrooms  and  other  things.  I  think  it  is  a  fine  study  and  the 
boy  that  takes  it  is  wise ;  for  he  will  have  an  interesting  time  for  the  summer  or 
whenever  he  takes  it.  A  few  suggestions  for  the  class  next  year  would  be  to 
collect  flowers,  ferns,  twigs,  name  and  tag  them  and  see  how  many  different 
things   they  could   learn." 


"Document   No.    14. 


A  Sdj-Gover fling  Camp  Without  Awards  85 

Democracy  Or  SeIvF-Government 

Despite!  all  the  new  and  useful  interests  developed  during  the  sum- 
mer, it  must  not  be  supposed  that  all  the  boys  grasped  at  once  the  idea 
of  democracy.  Like  many  of  our  citizens,  some  thought  it  meant,  "do 
as  you  please."  rather  than  participation  in  the  responsibility  of  gov- 
ernment. Toward  the  last  of  camp  when  it  was  found  that  about  15 
boys  had  not  signed  up  for  either  of  the  three  hikes  which  the  camp 
conference  had  adopted  for  that  particular  week-end,  a  camp  confer- 
ence was  called  to  consider  the  problem.  The  conference  held  it  im- 
possible to  provide  leadership  for  the  hikes  and  at  the  same  time  to 
keep  a  program  going  in  camp  for  so  large  a  number. 

In  the  discussion  of  the  question,  the  conference  set  up  two  alterna- 
tives :  The  group  might  call  off  the  hike  altogether  or  determine  who 
had  real  reasons  for  staying  in  camp.  The  latter  course  was  adopted 
and  each  fellow  who  did  not  plan  to  go  was  required  to  stand  up  and 
give  his  reasons.  These  were  discussed  and  his  excuses  acccepted  or 
rejected  by  majority  vote  of  the  conference.  If  he  offered  physical 
disability  he  was  sent  to  the  doctor  and  nurse. 

One  boy  who  had  pleaded  injuries  on  several  fonner  occasions  in 
order  to  stay  at  camp,  was  required  to  go  to  the  nurse  for  a  special 
examination  of  a  cut  on  his  leg,  now  well  healed.  She  found  it  no 
hindrance  to  hiking,  so  he  was  required  to  go  amid  the  laughing  and 
"kidding"  of  the  fellows.  The  doctor  kept  five  out  of  the  fifteen  in 
camp  and  the  others;  were  required  to  go  on  one  of  the  hikes.  Three 
of  these  boys  who  had  pled  disability,  later  sought  permission  to  extend 
their  hike  and  take  an  extra  20  miles  before  they  returned.  Here  was 
a  majority  enforcing  its  decisions  upon  a  minority  group.  Was  this 
camp  conference  democratic  after  all  ? 

While  the  experiment  in  self-government  had  demonstrated  its  su- 
periority over  the  old  autocratic  plan  of  operating  the  camp,  the  coun- 
selors realized  there  had  been  too  much  talk  about  democracy.  Free- 
dom for  participation  allowed  the  boys  was  markedly  increased,  but 
parents  judging  from  the  boys'  letters  were  sometimes  alarmed  lest  all 
discipline  had  been  dispensed  with. 

The  most  marked  change  was  the  entire  elimination  of  the  point 
award  system.  The  camp  life  had  been,  so  much  happier,  and  the  ac- 
tivities so  much  more  interesting  and  worthwhile  than  they  had  been 
when  controlled  and  stimulated  artificially,  that  no  one  connected  with 
Scy  Camp  had  any  desire  to  return  to  the  former  plan.  It  vras  a  pio- 
neer effort  for  the  staff  of  Scy  Camp  for  they  knew  of  no  similar  ex- 
periment or  example  in  summer  camps. 

Counselor  Training  Emphasized 

With  the  same  Director,  program  director  and  head  counselor  in 
1927  the  same  policies  and  principles  were  continued  but  with  ii,  major 
emphasis  on  counselor-training.  Counselors'  meetings  were  held  reg- 
ularly as  part  of  the  College  Campcraft  course.     Not  only  did  each 


86  Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

counselor  take  the  responsibilities  of  Director  for  a  week  at  a  time  but 
was  also  given  the  experience  of  presiding  at  Council  Ring  programs. 
The  plan  of  camp  organization  worked  out  the  previous  year  was  fol- 
lowed with  few  changes. 

In  the  college  campcraft  course  a  general  view  of  the  camping  move- 
ment was  presented;  experiences  in  camping,  and  the  applications  of 
educational  theory  to  camping  situations  were  discussed.  These  studies 
were  all  applied  to  the  questions  and  problems  which  came  up  in  the 
daily  life  of  the  camp.  This  not  only  made  a  practical  course  in  Camp- 
craft,  but  was  a  distinct  advantage  to  the  camp  program.  It  provided 
for  a  wide-awake  and  trained  leadership.  For  example,  when  a  group 
of  the  "old  campers"  desired  some  sort  of  initiation,  for  the  new  camp- 
ers, this  question,  like  many  others  was  anticipated  and  discussed  in  the 
counselor  group  before  it  ever  reached  the  planning  stage,  and  the 
counselors  were  thus  able  to  give  it  more  thoughtful  and  unified  guid- 
ance. The  old  campers  planned  to  take  charge  of  the  first  council  ring 
program.  They  wanted  to  blindfold  the  new  boys  and  lead  them  along 
the  trail  to  the  council  ring.  The  plan  was  adopted  and  used.  The  ini- 
tiationi  gave  a  demonstration  of  the  woodcraft  program  in  addition  to 
the  usual  fun.     New  counselors  were  initiated  along  with  new  campers. 

The  Camp  Council  Functions 

The  first  question  tackled  by  the  new  camp  council  was  that  of  in- 
spection. They  decided  to  recommend  that  each  Band-Chief  with  the 
aid  of  his  counselor  should  inspect  his  own  cabin. 

Two  cabin  groups  asked  to  exchange  cabins  and  counselors.  Since 
no  member  of  either  group  objected  the  council  voted  them  permission. 
The  camp  conference  approved  these  recommendations  and  appointed 
"Butch,"  a  counselor,  to  collect  and  post  the  daily  Inspection  Reports. 

The  next  meeting  of  this  council  set  visiting  hours  at  Lee  Hall  and 
recommended  fifty  cents  per  week  as  a  maximum  a  boy  might  spend 
for  such  things  as  candies,  cakes,  and  drinks. 

The  camp  conference,  held  on  June  30,  passed  the  council  recom- 
mendations, elected  a  Board  of  Editors  for  the  "Scy  Rocket" — camp 
weekly  magazine — adopted  a  Sunday  schedule,  and  made  plans  for  a 
Fourth  of  July  celebration.  The  main  feature  of  the  celebration  was 
a  patriotic  ceremonial  and  pageant,  each  band  presenting  a  part.  This 
was  followed  by  a  baseball  game,  a  swimming  meet,  a  treasure  hunt 
and  in  the  evening  a  bonfire. 

Below  are  given  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  of  the  camp  council 
on  July  3 : 

The  Camp  Director  acted  as  temporary  chairman.  First  business  was  the 
election  of  a  permanent  chairman.     Tom  was  unanimously  elected. 

It  was  suggested  that  we  should  get  busy  planning  ahead  the  things  we  want 
to  do  and  so  get  these  things  placed  upon  the  schedule.  It  will  be  left  up  to  the 
boys  to  decide  what  program  events,  hikes;  trips,  meets,  etc.,  are  to  be  scheduled. 

A  motion  was  made  to  arrange  a  trip  to  the  Asheville  Recreational  Park  on 
Tuesday,  but  without  a  second  it  was  lost.     This  was  because  several  objected  that 


A  Selj-Govcrnhiir  Camp  Without  Awards  87 

such  a  trip  was  not  in  keeping  with  camping,  and  tliat  many  would  not  wish  to 
spend  their  money  or  time  in  tliat  way.  The  council  must  plan  for  the  whole 
camp.  Motion  was  made,  seconded  and  carried  that  July  9  should  he  set  as  a 
time  when  those  who  wished  might  arrange  for  a  trip  to  the  Recreational  Park. 

Next  business  was  election  of  permanent  council  Secretary,  and  Charlie  was 
elected.  Motion  was  made,  discussed  and  carried  that  when  on  Imig  hikes,  rides 
might  he  accepted  wherever  the  entire  group  could  be  accommodated,  or  with  the 
counselor's  permission.  Friday  was  scheduled  as  the  time  in  the  week  for  over- 
night hikes. 

Plans  were  made  for  the  boys  to  hold  their  own  vesper  services  on  Sunday 
evenings.  Each  band  should  be  responsible  for  the  program  in  turn  beginning 
with  the  Silver  Fox  Band.  The  question  of  a  Sunday  School  or  Sunday  morning 
program  was  taken  up.  A  motion  was  made  for  each  band  to  hold  its  own  S.  S. 
class  in  its  cabins,  but  this  was  voted  down,  and  it  was  suggested  that  each  band 
discuss  tonight  the  idea  of  having  a  S.  S.  for  the  whole  camp  and  report  at  the 
next  Council  meeting.  It  was  planned  to  have  worship  service  at  the  camp  out- 
dcK>r  chapel  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  it  was  voted  to  invite  Dr.  Kessler  to  be  the 
camp  pastor  during  the  summer. 

Next  discussion  was  as  to  what  Scy  Camp  stands  for  and  it  was  stated  finally 
in  two  ways  : 

1.  A  more  Christ-like  life. 

2.  A  life  in  accord  with  the  "Jesus  Way  of  Living." 

It  was  then  moved  and  carried  that  we  arrange  to  have  daily  discussion  groups 
on  the  "Jesus  Way  of  Living." 

To  provide  a  place  for  this  required  a  reworking  of  the  morning  schedule.  It 
was  moved  and  carried  to  call  a  camp  conference  at  7:30  to  consider  these  recom- 
mendations.    Moved  to  adjourn.'' 

While  the  camp  council  could  call  a  camp  conference  to  consider  their 
recommendations,  the  conference  could  consider  and  pass  upon  matters 
which  had  not  been  discussed  in  the  council.  The  minutes  below  for 
camp  conference  on  July  17,  show  how  questions  could  be  raised  and 
disposed  of  in  conference : 

The  roll  was  called  by  bands.  Motion  was  made  and  carried  to  schedule  a 
night  treasure  hunt  for  next  Wednesday. 

Tom  suggested  that  the  "campus-clean-up  project"  be  kept  cleaner.  John 
apologized  for  leaving  camp  without  permission  from  the  director  in  charge.  A 
motion  was  passed  that  a  towel  placed  on  the  door  of  a  cabin  ba  understood  as  a 
signal  that  the  band  is  holding  a  band  meeting  and  desires  everyone  else  to  stay  out. 

Motion  passed  that  the  bugler  blow  call  to  quarters  at  9  o'clock.  Motion  also 
passed  that  first  call  be  blown  five  minutes  before  meals  and  mess  call  be  the 
signal  to  enter  the  dining  room,  and  that  when  grace  is  said  and  all  seated  the 
door  .shall  be  hooked  and  anyone  coming  late  be  require  to  give  their  excuse  to  a 
committee  composed  of  "Cash."  "Mouse"  and  "Skeet"  who  will  decide  whether 
admission  shall  be  granted. 

Motion  passed  that  anybody  who  breaks  or  tears  up  any  of  the  equipment  be 
required  to  fix  it  up  or  make  it  good.  Question  was  raised  concerning  use  of 
profanity  or  "smut"  in  camp,  and  the  following  method  of  dealing  with  it  was 
suggested  and  accepted  by  the  conference :  If  it  occurs  outside  the  cabin  three 
boys  selected  by  a  counselor  shall  each  give  the  guilty  one  a  lick  with  a  paddle 
or  belt,  but  if  inside  the  cabin  two  boys  only  give  licks. 

Conference  adjourned.' 

While  many  suggestions  continued  to  come  from  the  counselors  in 
the  conferences  and  council  meetings,  the  bovs  came  to  do  a  great  deal 


'Document  No.  15. 
'Document  No.  16. 


88  Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

of  thinking  and  planning  for  themselves  and  came  to  feel  that  they 
were  a  real  part  of  the  administration  and  responsible  for  the  plans  and 
program.  The  tendency  was  for  the  council  to  do  more  and  more  of 
the  planning  and  for  the  camp  conferences  to  accept  recommendations 
brought  by  the  council.  Fewer  things  originated  in  the  conferences, 
and  this  cut  down  the  time  spent  in  them.  Boys  made  their  suggestions 
to  their  cabin  group  representatives.  Often  they  were  discussed  first 
in  group  meetings. 

Discussion  Groups 

Among  the  special  phases  of  the  program  emphasized  in  1927  was 
the  Discussion  Group  plan.  We  have  seen  how  the  council  recom- 
mended and  the  conference  passed  the  motion  for  three  discussion 
groups  on  "The  Jesus  Way  of  Life."  This  was  the  keynote  in  the 
minds  of  the  counselor  group  during  the  summer  and  each  one  was 
striving  to  embody  that  way  of  life  as  best  he  could,  so  when  discussion 
groups  were  suggested  to  the  boys  they  seemed  desirable  because  they 
were  natural  in  an  atmosphere  created  by  that  leadership.  No  pressure 
was  needed  to  get  them  adopted  and  started,  other  than  the  suggestion 
of  the  counselors,  the  faith  the  boys  had  in  them,  and  their  desire  to 
please. 

The  boys  werd  divided  into  three  groups  according  to  age,  and  dis- 
cussion leaders  were  selected.  The  groups  started  as  scheduled  by  the 
conference  on  July  7. 

The  following  excerpts  from  the  record  book  kept  by  the  secretary 
of  the  middle  group  (13  and  14-year-old  boys)  indicates  what  went 
on  in  that  group : 

Thursday,  7-7-27. 

We  opened  our  discussion  group  with  the  following  boys  present  (voluntarily)  : 
Lamar,  Bob,  James,  Robert,  "Sleepy,"  "Skeet"  and  "Buck"  as  our  leader.  Twro 
were  nominated  for  secretary.  "Sleepy"  and  "Skeet" ;  the  latter  was  elected. 
Our  main  subject  was  the  whole  life  of  Christ. 

We  discussed  four  points  of  the,  main  subject,  the  first  being  how  Chri.^t  re- 
ceived wisdom.  The  following  are  some  of  the  suggestions  from  the  boys: 
Study,  manual  training,  going  to  the  synagogue,  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures, 
talking  with  men,  attending  the  festivals,  and  nature  study.  Next  was  hov/  he 
increased  in  stature,  as  follows :  Exercise  in  daily  work,  living  in  the  open, 
hiking,  games  and  sports,  eating  wholesome  food.  Next  was  how  Christ  grew  in 
favor  with  God,  as  follows :  Cooperation,  study  of  God's  Word,  study  of  nature, 
standing  for  the  right  and  worship — "as  was  his  custom."  Next  was  how  Jesus 
grew  in  favor  with  men,  as  follows :  Kind  deeds,  friendliness,  good  sportsman- 
ship and  service. 

Thursday,  7-21-27. 

We  opened  the  meeting  with  the  following  present :  Allan,  Bob.  Robert, 
"Sleepy,"  "Skeet,"  James,  "H-P"  and  "Buck."  When  is  a  boy  a  good  sport? 
Following  are  some  suggestions  the  boys  made:  (a)  Controls  his  temper;  (b) 
is  good-natured;  (c)  keeps  up  team  spirit  when  losing;  (d)  is  fair  at  all  times; 
(e)  is  good  loser  ;(f)  standing  up  for  right  at  all  times;  (g)  is  able  to  stand 
hard  knocks;  (h)  has  self-control;  (i)  is  truthful;  (j)  has  faith  in  himself.  The 
meeting  was  closed  by  prayers  by  Allan,  "Skeet"  and  "Sleepy." 


A  6flf-Govtr/ii/!g  Camp  Without  Awards  89 

i.r  J     ,  .  ,      .  Friday.  7-22-27. 

We  opened  the  meeting  with  the  following  boys  present-  "H-I"'  '•Sleepy" 
Bob,  Robert,  Allan,  "Skeet,"  James  and  "Buck."  We  then  decided  to  discuss  wlio 
were  the  three  best  sports  m  camp.  Tom  was  first  selected  (one  of  the  older 
group,  m  camp  for  his  third  year)  and  the  following  are  some  of  the  things  the 
boys  said  about  him:  (a)  Plays  fair;  (b)  controls  his  temper;  (c)  takes  part 
in  a  large  number  of  camp  activities;  (d)  does  a  lot  for  the  camp;  (e)  doesn't 
pick  fights;  (f)  is  not  "stuck-up";  (g)  is  kind  to  smaller  boys;  (h)  keeps  up 
team  spirit;  (i)  is  good  friend  to  everyone;  (j)  is  willing  to  cooperate  in  every 
task;  (k)  is  good  natured ;  (1)  is  good  loser;  (m)  stands  for  right;  (n)  is  clean 
of  speech.  We  then  discussed  some  of  these  things  said  about  Tom.  The  meet- 
ing was  closed  with  a  prayer  by  "Buck." 

Sunday,  7-31-27. 

We  opened  the  meeting  with  the  following  boys  present:  "H-P,"  Robert 
James,  Allan.  "Sleepy,"  Yandall.  George,  Bob,  "Skeet"  and  "Buck."  Wq  opened 
the  meeting  with  prayers  by  Robert  and  Bob.     We  first  discussed  Allan  as  follows : 

(a)  is  selfish;  (b)  is  high  tempered;  (c)  gripes;  (d)'  is  not  a  good  leader;  (e) 
boasts  too  much;  (f)  is  egotistic;  (g)  shirks  some  duties;  (h)  is  too  dependent; 
(i)  is  careless;  (j)  is  revengeful;  (k)  is  babyish;  (1)  takes  part  \\\  many  activi- 
ties; (m)  plays  fair;  (n)  is  not  a  good  loser;  (o)  can't  stand  hard  knocks;  (p)  is 
argumentative;  (q)  lacks  confidence  in  himself. 

We  next  discussed  Yandall  as  follows:  (a)  gripes;  (b)  is  revengeful;  (c)  is 
good-natured;  (d)  plays  fair;  (e)  is  book-worm;  (f)  does  not  take  part  in 
enough  activity;  (g)  is  good  sport;  (h)  is  ladies  man;  (i)  docs  his  share  of  the 
work;   (j)  controls  his  temper. 

Thursday.  8-12-27. 

We  opened  the  meeting  with  the  following  boys  present:  James,  George, 
Allan,  Ralph,  Bob,  Gerald,  "Sleepy,"  "Skeet"  and  "Buck." 

We  discussed  "Buck"  (the  counselor  member  of  the  group)  :     (a)  is  too  slow; 

(b)  is  careless;  (c)  neglects  duties;  (d)  is  good  leader;  (e)  does  his  part  of  the 
work;  (f)  is  good  sport;  (g)  helps  others;  (h)  has  team  spirit;  (i)  is  good 
camper;  (j)  controls  his  temper;  (k)  is  religious;  (1)  is  honest;  (m)  is  ambi- 
tious; (n)  is  good  hearted;  (o)  is  considerate  of  others;  (p)  is  not  too  egotistical; 
(q)  is  unselfish." 

It  may  be  seen  from  these  notes  that|  this  discussion  group  took  up 
the  "Jesus  Way  of  Life"  from  the  study  of  how  Jesus  lived  and  taught 
and  then  attempted  to  apply  it  to  their  own  group  by  discussing  how 
well  each  boy  seemed  to  be  living  it.  This  emphasis  upon  trying  to 
hve  in  that  fashion  as  a  very  practical  thing  camq  even  more  into  the 
picture  the  latter  part  of  the  camp,  when  the  counselor  meetings  also 
took  up  the  discussion  of  the  personality  traits  of  the  older  boys.  They 
took  one  boy  at  a  time,  made  a  list  of  all  the  fine  things  or  "strong  qual- 
ities" observed  about  him,  and  then  listed  his  weaknesses.  A  set  of 
suggestions  for  this  boy  to  think  about  were  made  up  in  the  light  of  the 
listed  observations.  Each  boy  who  desired  it  was  sent  out  to  some 
place  away  up  in  the  mountains  out  of  sight  or  hearing  of  camp  to 
spend  an  all-night  vigil.  He  was  given  a  set  of  messages  in  sealed 
envelopes,  one  to  be  opened  each  hour,  as  the  night  went  on,  and  the 
suggestions  for  meditation,  prepared  by  the  counselor  group,  were  thus 
brought  before  him  a  few  at  a  time. 

Some  of  the  boys  said  little  about  this  experience;  others  sixike  of  it 
as  a  thrilling  adventure;  some  said  no  other  experience  had  touched 


'Document  No.  17. 


90  Organized  Catnfing  and  Progressive  Education 

them  so  deeply.     One  said,  "It  seemed  like  God  was  talking  with  me 
up  there  and  I  shall  never  forget  it." 

All  this  developed  from  the  discussion  groups.  It  was  kept  as 
objective  as  possible,  and  personal  clashes  were  the  rarest  exception. 
There  was  a  very  large  measure  of  sharing  of  experiences  between 
counselors  and  boys. 

A  Nature  Lore  Emphasis 

Another  outstanding  feature  ofl  the  camp  in  1927  was  the  emphasis 
on  Nature  Lore  and  the  interest  aroused  in  it  throughout  almost  the 
entire  camp  group.  For  the  first  time  the  camp  made  this  emphasis  the 
chief  responsibility  of  one  counselor.  Since  this  man  was  born  and 
reared  in  the  mountains  and  had  been  a  group  counselor  in  the  camp  for 
the  four  years  previous,  he  knew  both  the  camp  and  the  natural  sur- 
roundings. Besides  the  nature  lore  groups  that  he  led  another  coun- 
selor led  a  Bird  Club,  and  another,  an  Astronomy  Club.  All  other 
counselors  tried  to  learn  as  much  as  possible  and  their  interest  stimulated 
the  boys. 

Soon  after  the  beginning  of  camp  the  Nature  Lore  counselor  dis- 
played a  large  number  of  wild  flower  pictures  on  the  walls  of  the 
Nature  Room  and  announced  that  as  soon  as  every  member  of  any 
band  was  able  to  identify  and  name  at  sight  ten  wild  flowers  he  would 
take  the  band  by  auto  to  Lake  Eden  and  the  North  fork  Valley  where 
beautiful  wild  flowers  were  plentiful.  Several  bands  started  out  to  do 
it.  The  Cardinal  Band,  which  had  shown  little  interest  in  wild  flowers 
before,  spurred  on  by  a  band  chief  who  was  just  taking  his  first  interest 
in  flowers,  was  the  first  to  win  the  trip.  They  increased  their  knowledge 
of  flowers  and  their  appreciation  of  nature  lore,  too.  This  type  of  re- 
ward connected  closely  with  its  project  and  merely  incidental  to  it  was 
thus  used  to  real  advantage  by  a  skillful  counselor. 

Two  logs  set  upon  legs,  like  benches,  and  with  three  dozen  test  tubes 
set  in  holes  along  the  top  of  each,  provided  two  bands  with  an  ongoing 
project  in  flower  study  as  they  tried  to  keep  fresh  displays  of  wild 
flowers  neatly  labelled,  all  through  the  summer.  One  of  these  logs  was 
kept  at  Robert  E.  Lee  Hall  for  the  visitors  there  and  the  other  at  camp 
for  the  campers.  Later  blue  print  paper  was  procured  and  a  number 
of  flowers'  silhouettes  were  made. 

Fern  books  containing  pressed  ferns  were  made  and  each  specimen 
labelled  to  show  the  variety.  Trees  about  the  grounds  and  along  a 
trail  used  by  many  visitors  to  the  Blue  Ridge  Grounds  were  tagged. 
Boys  acquired  knowledge  and  interest  in  nature  while  trying  to  help 
others  to  do  the  same  thing.  Much  was  done  on  hikes  to  show  the 
interesting  things  of  natural  beauty ;  and  leaf  prints  were  made  and 
used  to  make  an  attractive  border  all  around  the  nature  room.  Spore 
prints  of  mushrooms  were  made  and  many  of  them  classified. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  outstanding  pieces  of  work  was  performed 
by  the  group  who  spent  a  month  studying,  collecting  and  identifying 


A  Sdf-Governing  Camp  Without  Awards  91 

moths  and  butterflies.  Several  private  collections  were  made  by  differ- 
ent boys  and  a  large  collection  was  made  and  encased  for  the  camp. 
This  collection  numbered  seventy-five  species  of  moths,  sixty- four  of 
which  were  definitely  identified  and  the  names  posted  with  the  collec- 
tion. 

One  of  the  three  divisions  of  the  Certificate  which  had  been  worked 
out  by  the  counselor  group  during  the  summer  to  show  the  participation 
of  boys  in  camp  programs,  provided  for  listing  the  number  of  various 
kinds  of  nature  materials  the  boy  could  identify.  The  Nature  Lore 
man  invented  a  plan  to  get  this  information;  he  held  a  "Nature  Meet" 
during  the  last  week  of  camp  in  which  each  boy  entering  would  check 
his  list  of  birds,  flowers,  trees  and  other  natural  objects  with  the  Nature 
Man  or  some  counselor  who  knew  that  particular  type  of  natural  object. 
When  these  lists  were  all  checked,  each  different  natural  class  (flowers, 
treesv  ferns,  etc.)  in  the  nature  meet  would  constitute  an  event.  The 
boy  who  knew  the  largest  number  in  a  class  took  first  place  and  was 
given  eight  points,  just  as  in  a  track  meet;  second  place  scored  five 
points ;  third  place,  three.  Then  the  number  of  points  won  by  the 
members  of  a  band  were  totalled  to  see  which  band  won  the  "meet." 

Attempts  To  Evaluate 

The  Director  and  counselor  group  in  1927  felt  strongly  the  need  of 
finding  some  means  of  evaluating  what  was  taking  place.  Several  de- 
vices were  tried.  One  which  was  worked  out  early  in  the  camp  year 
and  mimeographed  for  use  by  each  camper  was  the  "Weekly  Evaluation 
Chart"  on  which  each  boy  listed  the,  activities  he  had  entered  into  and 
he  evaluated  them  for  courage,  honesty,  cheerfulness,  and  helpfulness, 
along  a  scale  extending  from  zero  to  one  hundred.  The  counselor  was 
to  give  his  rating  of  the  activity  also.  This  replaced  a  daily  diary*  sheet 
used  in  1925. 

This  form  served  to  keep  the  campers  from  drifting  and  prevented 
loss  of  time,  for  it!  caused  them  to  check  up  on  the  progress  they  were 
making,  but  it  did  not  work  well  as  a  means  of  evaluation.  It  was 
particularly  helpful  toi  some  campers  but  was  of  little  use  to  many  who 
took  no  interest  in  writing  the  record  from  day  to  day,  and  week  to 
week. 

Health  and  physical  development  was  checked  by  the  health  director 
at  the  beginning  and  closipg  of  camp.  He  used  a  record  sheet  on 
which  were  recorded  different  measurements  of  the  body  and  a  state- 
ment of  the  defects  that  might  readily  be  corrected.  Physical  ability 
tests  were  given  and  the  health  director,  in  an  interview  with  each  boy. 
advised  him  in  ways  and  means  of  making  most  improvement.  At  the 
close  of  camp  the  health  director  sent  a  letter  to  each  parent  stating  the 
findings  of  his  examinations,  the  improvement  made,  and  giving  advice 
for  continuation  of  the  health  program  throughout  the  remainder  of  the 
year.  Of  27  boys  for  which  records  were  completed.  21  gained  weight 
and  six  lost  weight.     Only  one  boy  lost  weight  who  was  not  a  fat  boy. 


92  Orga?tizcd  Cam'pi?ig  and  Progressive  Education 

and  he  lost  less  than  two  pounds.  This  boy  was  often  sick  from  over- 
eating, especially  "sweets  and  soft  drinks."  The  problem  with  him  was 
to  help  him  attain  self-control.  One  of  the  losers  was  a  very  fat  boy, 
who  was  helped  by  losing  six  pounds.  The  average  gain  in  weight  was 
three  pounds  per  boy.  The  highest,  a  gain  of  12  pounds,  was  made  by 
a  tall  thin  boy  16  years  of  age.  An  average  gain  of  9  c.c.  in  lung 
capacity  was  also  registered.  Those  who  did  the  most  hiking  showed 
the  greatest  increase  in  lung  capacity. 

The  Summer  Camp  Tests  published  by  the  National  Council  of  the 
Y,  M.  C.  A.  were  used.  The  1927  test.  Form  E,  was  given  at  the  be- 
ginning of  camp,  and  Form  F  at  the  close.  These  tests  covered  atti- 
tudes in  a  large  number  of  situations  in  school,  camp,  church,  on,  the 
playground,  on  hikes,  about  home  and  many  other  situations.  One 
weakness  of  the  tests  was  that  a  boy  could  misinterpret  the  directions 
and  mark  some  questions  quite  opposite  from  his  real  intention. 

These  blanks  were  sent  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  National  Council  ofifice  in 
New  York  to  be  scored.  The  results  returned  on  these  tests,  while  not 
necessarily  discouraging,  were  not  particularly  flattering.  While  19 
of  the  boys  showed  a  total  increase  in  score  (or  improvement)  of  135 
points,  nine  boys  showed  a  total  decrease  of  score  of  59  points  and  two 
others  showed  an  unchanged  score.  Probably  the  greatest  value  derived 
from  these  tests  was  that  the  Camp  Director  and  counselors  were  led 
to  take  a  more  objective  view  of  camping.  They  began  to.  realize  that 
camping  per  se  was  not  working  miracles  with  all  the  boys  who  had  the 
experience. 

Another  method  of  evaluation  and  reporting  the  participation  of  boys 
in  the  camp  life  was  the  Camp  Certificate  which  was  filled  out  and  sent 
to  the  boy's  parents  at  th^  endl  of  camp.  This  certificate,  worked  out 
by  the  counselors,  had  three  columns.  The  first  listed  the  names  of 
interest  groups  in  which  a  boy  had  participated.  The  second  furnished 
a  place  for  rating  (excellent,  good,  fair,  poor)  the  citizenship  attitudes 
shown ;  such  as,  personal  appearance,  acceptance  of  responsibility,  band 
loyalty,  camp  spirit,  consideration  of  others,  promptness  and  efficiency 
of  routine  duties,  deportment  in  dining  lodge  and  assembhes,  helpful- 
ness in  band  projects,  and  sportsmanship.  The  third  column  was  for 
the  identification  of  nature  materials. 

The  middle  column  was  filled  out  largely  according  to  the  judgment 
of  the  boy's  cabin  counselor,  but  was  checked  by  the  entire  counselor 
group.  One  of  the  purposes  the  counselor  group  expected  this  certifi- 
cate to  serve  was  to  increase  the  satisfaction  of  the  boy  whd,  had  done 
well  and  to  bring  some  annoyance  to  the  boy  who  had  not  done  his  best. 
It  prol)ably  did  this  but  not  at  all  according  to  the  personal  needs  of  the 
individual  campers.  If  these  Certificates  had  been  talked  over  with  the 
boy  before  he  left  cam])  the  result  might  have  been  better.  When  the 
certificate  went  home,  if  it  were  poor,  the  parent  was  apt  to  receive  it 
so  emotionally  that  although  annoyance  for  the  boy  was  there,  it  was  in 
an  entirely  different  setting  and  was  likely  to  become  attached,  not  so 
much  to  the  jioor  quality  of  his  work  as  to  the  counselors  who  signed 


A  Selj-Govcrniuii  Camp  Without  Awards 


93 


it  or  to  the  camp  which  sent  it  out.  Some  cases  j^'iven  later  in  the 
chapter  illustrate  this  point.  The  plan  had  some  value  for  evaluation 
of  a  boy  but  it  was  not  a  good  report  for  use  with  parents.  It  was 
likely  to  be  taken  too  seriously  unless  given  a  personal  inteqjretation. 
Another  defect  was  that  where  the  cabin  counselor  had  failed  to  under- 
stand the  boy  he  may  have  unconsciously  done  him  a  further  injustice 
by  marking  him  low  on  his  certificate.  This  might  become  an  actual 
hindrance  in  overcoming  existing  personality  problems. 

Below  are  given  the  citizenship  ratings  on  the  certificates  of  the  boys 
in  one  band:  (E  means  excellent;  G  means  good;  F  means  fair;  P 
means  poor.)^° 


Attitudes 
Shown 

Bob 

"H-P" 

Edd 

Chas. 

"Trib" 

"Mars" 

Ernest 

Personal 
Appearance 

E 

E 

E 

E 

E 

G 

E 

Acceptance  of 
responsibility 

G 

E 

E 

G 

E 

E 

Very 
Poor 

Band  Loyalty 

G 

E 

E 

E 

E 

E 

P 

Camp  Spirit 

G 

E 

G 

G 

E 

E 

VP 

Deportment  in  Dining 
room  and  Assemblies 

G 

E 

E 

G 

E 

E 

F 

Consideration 
of  others 

F 

E 

E 

G 

E 

E 

P 

Routine  Duties 

E 

E 

E 

G 

E 

E 

F 

Band  Projects 

E 

E 

E 

G 

E 

E 

VP 

Sportsmanship 

G 

E 

E 

G 

E 

E 

P 

As  Waiters 

P 

P 

This  record  for  one  of  the  best  bands  in  camp  makes  Ernest's  rating 
contrast  unfavorably  with  other  members  of  his  band.  The  results  of 
this  will  be  seen  below. 

Evaluation  By  Parents 

Early  in  1928  after  the  author  had  been  asked  to  direct  Scy  Camp 
in  the  following  summer,  he  wrote  to  a  number  of  parents  and  boys  and 
asked  for  a  irank  criticism  of  the  camp  and  for  suggestions  for  im- 
provement. Both  favorable  and  adverse  criticisms  were  received,  re- 
flecting both  the  successes  and  failures  of  the  previous  years.     One  out- 


'  Document  No.  18. 


94  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

standing  failure  seems  to  have  been  in  the  case  of  Ernest,  as  indicated 
by  a  letter  from  his  mother : 

You  have  given  me  the  hardest  job  I  ever  had — but  since  you  ask  for  a  frank 
statement  of  what  Scy  Camp  did  for  my  boy  1  shall  try  to  tell  you.  Ernest  is 
very  much  overweight  and  is  very  sensitive  about  it.  He  is  a  quiet  child  and 
has  never  been  interested  in  active  sports,  preferring  to  read.  He  is  slow  to  make 
outside  contacts.  My  chief  reason  for  sending  him  to  camp  was  to  get  him  to 
develop  a  love  for  outdoor  sports — a  sense  of  cooperation  and  fellowship  with 
other  boys.  Having  no  natural  inclination  in  this  direction  it  was  necessary  that  he 
be  tactfully  persuaded  to  develop  this  interest.  He  was  not.  He  was  allowed  to  do 
very  much  as  he  pleased  about  sports. 

I  believe  it  is  natural  to  dislike  doing  those  things  which  we  are  forced  to  do 
against,  our  wills,  but  I  believe  we  often  learni  to  like  things  that  we  are  led  into 
kindly  by  someone  who  has  a  sympathetic  understanding  of  the  situation.  The 
long  hikes  were  very  bad  for  him ;  being  overweight  and  having  very  tender  skin 
he  cliafed  so  that  it  was  torture  for  him  to  walk.  After  one  of  these  hikes  he  did 
not  go  again.  This  earned  for  him  the  reputation  of  being  lazy  which  madd  him 
more  miserable. 

He  loved  his  camp  counselor ;  he  was  interested  in  his  work  in  the  dining  room, 
was  always  on  time,  always  willing  to  do  his  share  and  to  help  the  other  fellow. 
I  know  because  I  was  there  to  see.  Yet  on  his  report  card  his  dining  room  service 
was  marked  "Very  Poor." 

Ernest  loved  Scy  Camp  until  he  received  his  report  card.  I  don't  think  I  have 
ever  seen  a  boy  hurt  more  than  he  was.  I  was  heart-broken  over  it.  The  dining 
room  service  grade  hurt  him  more  than  the  others.  He  asked  me,  "Mother,  you 
know  what  kind  of  work  I  did.  What  would  you  have  giveni  me  ?"  I  could  only 
truthfully  answer,  "Son,  I  would  have  given  you  'Good'." 

To  make  a  long  story  short,  I  think  his  report  card  did  him  more  harm  than 
anything  that  ever  happened  to  him.  A  sense  of  failure  is  the  most  crushing 
thing  in  the  world.  I  am  glad  to  .say  that  everyone  here  gives  him  an  excellent 
name  for  his  work  and  for  his  interest  in  it. 

I  do  not  want  to  criticize  any  one  for  what  was  done  to  my  boy  for  I  am  sure 
they  did  what  they  thought  best  and  gave  him  marks  they  thought  he  deserved. 
However,  I  am  not  willing  for  him  to  go  to  Scy  Camp  again. 

I  realize  that  my  opinion  is  rather  unfavorable,  but  I  have  tried  to  give  you  a 
candid  statement,  knowing  that  you  will  appreciate  adverse  criticism  as  well  as  the 
favorable.     1  wish  you  a  very  successful  summer." 

While  a  few  of  these  frank  statements  of  failure  to  understand  the 
individual  personalities  of  boys  in  camp  have  doubtless  come  to  camp 
directors,  many  more  dissatisfactions  have  remained  unexpressed.  The 
few,  however,  have  done  much  to  cause  the  camping  movement  to  criti- 
cize itself  and  to  study  the  science  of  personality  growth  and  adjust- 
There  were  di.stinct  advantages  in  the  democratic  method, 
whereby  boys  were  allowed  much  freedom  of  choice  of  activity  and 
sharing  in  the  general  planning,  but  they  also  needed  individual  under- 
standing, treatment  and  guidance.  Nothing  else  could  hope  to  succeed. 
Here  was  the  demand  ff)r  the  next  great  step  in  the  advance  of  the 
:amping  movement. 

It  is  true  that  Ernest  did  go  on  one  fairly  good  hike,  showed  good 
spirit  and  real  grit  by  finishing  it  without  delaying  the  party,  made  little 
complaint  when  he  chafed  and  suffered  pain.  He  rarely  went  out  to 
take  part  in  activities  despite  suggestions  of  his  band  mates  and  his 


'Document  No.   19. 


A  Self-GoVi-rni/ig  Ciinip   ]\'itliout   Aiuards  95 

counselor.  He  lay  in  his  bunk  and  read  a  ^^reat  part  of  the  time.  Mis 
physical  record  blank  shows  that  this  15-ycar-old  boy  weighed  180  when 
he  came  to  camp  and  at  the  end  of  the  summer  he  weighed  189.9  and 
his  waist  measurement  at  the  beginning  was  38.5  inches  and  at  the  close 
was  41.5  inches,  indicating  very  definitely  that  he  did  little  physical 
activity  and  that  he  probably  ate  quite  heavily,  having  had  work  in  the 
dining  room  and  access  to  the  food  supply.  Is  it  not  probable  that  the 
counselors  recognized  the  fact  that  they  had  failed  to  interest  him  in 
the  activities  and  then  unconsciously  defended  themselves  by  putting  the 
blame  all  upon  him  and  giving  him  a  very  low  score?  Could  more 
scientific  procedures  have  prevented  it? 

Not  all  letters  received  were  as  discouraging,  but  probably  most  was 
learned  from  the  unfavorable  ones.  The  letter  below  indicates  a  weigh- 
ing of  the  camp  before  decision  to  send  the  boy  for  a  second  year. 

For  a  while  I  was  uncertain  as  to  the  wisdom  of  having  K return  to  Scy 

Camp  as  he  will  bel  sixteen  in  April,  and  as  he  expressed  it,  "objected  to  playing 
'Fox  in  the  Wall'  and  'Tap  Rabbit'  with  those  little  boys." 

We  talked  it  over  and  finally  decided  that  Scy  Camp  had  so  many  other  ad- 
vantages that  it  could  not  be  beaten,  so  we  are  planning  for  his  return.  It  is 
impossible  to  estimate  the  value  which  a  boy  receives  from  his  eight  weeks  in 
such  a  camp;  and  because  of  its  wholesome  influence  for  character  building  and 

the  best  chance  for  physical  development   I  am  anxious  for  K to  have  one 

more  summer  there. 

I  must  confess  we  both  were  disappointed  in  K 's  report  card  which  came 

after  the  close  of  camp  and  I  was  somewhat  disappointed  that  he  did  not  enjoy 
and  appreciate  more  of  the  activities.  However,  he  is  returning  to  get  a  great 
deal  more  out  of  camp  his  second  summer." 

This  letter  indicates  that  while  the  campi  had  not  been  considered  a 
huge  success  the  first  summer  there  were  benefits  which  made  it  seem 
worth  while  to  try  it  again.  This  boy  growing  rapidly,  very  tall  and 
thin,  had  not  been  urged  into  activities  because  he  did  not  seem  to  have 
any  great  reserve  of  energy.  He  had  gained  12  pounds  of  weight  dur- 
ing the  first  summer,  and  since  this  was  much  needed,  his  mother  might 
well  have  been  pleased  with  his  physical  development. 

Another  mother  writes  more  encouragingly : 

I  think  Edwin  was  benefited  a  lot  by  his  period  in  camp  last  summer  and  I 
wouldn't  hesitate  to  send  him  back  there  again.  It  was  an  experience  he  will 
never  forget  and  I  have  heard  him  say  any  number  of  times  he  would  like  to  go 
back  next  summer.  I  think  that  Scy  Camp  stands  for  character  building  and 
with  its  fine  leadership  is  an  ideal  place  for  a  boy  of  Edwin's  age." 

Evaluation  By  Counselors 

In  a  final  evaluation  meeting  the  counselor  group  discussed  the  year's 
experience  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  had  talked  too  much 
about  "the  democratic  method" ;  that  it  would  have  been  better  if  they 
had  said  little  about  it,  but  had  practiced  it.  Most  coimselors  agreed 
that  too  much  reliance  was  placed  upon  boys'  abilities  to  plan  for  them- 
selves and  that  more  guidance  was  needed.     The  group  thought  that  the 

"^Document  No.  20. 
"Document  No.  21. 


96  Organized  Ca?nfing  and  Progressive  Education 

plan  of  having  the  counselors  serve  as  Camp  Director  for  a  week,  while 
a  good  experience  for  the  counselor,  was  not  so  good  for  the  camp,  and 
that  the  Camp  Director  should  perform  his  functions  continuously. 
The  counselors  agreed  that  the  weakest  point  of  all  was  their  own  lack 
of  skill  in  helping  boys  to  evaluate  their  experiences,  and  in  interesting 
boys  in  new  activities.  No  necessity  had  iDeen  found  for  any  sort  of 
artificial  stimuli  to  activity  such  as  awards,  letters,  emblems,  or  honor 
systems.  The  emphasis  was  upon  a  "Way  of  Living."  The  counselors 
had  begun  to  understand  what  was  involved  in  the  educational  processes 
which  should  function  in  a  camp  which  allows  for  boy  initiative  and 
sharing  in  responsibility. 

Few  Changes  In  1928 

The  author,  who  started  in  Scy  Camp  as  Tutor  in  the  first  year, 
1923,  served  in  turn  as  counselor,  naturalist  and  program  director,  be- 
came the  Camp  Director  in  1928.  While  the  general  policy  was  much 
the  same  as  in  1926  and  1927,  some  changes  were  made. 

The  "school"  period  in  the  morning  was  completely  eliminated,  pro- 
viding time  for  voluntary  interest  groups  in  crafts,  nature  lore,  Indian 
Lore,  archery,  and  other  activities.  Tutoring  was  still  provided  for  the 
few  students  whose  parents  required  it. 

The  counselor-director-for-the-week  plan  was  abandoned  and  the 
Camp  Director  functioned  as  such  continuously.  The  Head-Guide 
also  presided  as'  "Chief"  at  all  council  ring  programs.  These  changes 
made  for  unity  of  plan  and  better  understanding  of  the  procedures. 

The  introduction  of  horseback  riding  as  an  activity  was  interesting 
and  popular,  but  proved  to  be  too  expensive.  Riding  was  arranged  by 
bands  so  that  one  or  two  cabin  groups  went  together.  This  made  the 
trips  more  interesting  since  the  boys  could  plan  them  in  band  meetings 
and  talk  them  over  together  afterward.  It  furnished  another  focus  of 
common  experience,  and  developed  group  spirit  and  loyalty — another 
socializing  force. 

No  campcraft  course  was  oflfered  in  1928,  the  regularity  of  counselor 
meetings  required  by  the  course  was  also  allowed  to  lapse.  Counselors 
engaged  for  the  summer  were  most  alumni — men  who  had  fonnerly 
been  counselors  in  Scy  Camp,  but  had  now  been  serving  as  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
Secretaries  for  one  or  more  years.  Two  of  them  secured  new  positions 
almost  as  the  camp  opened,  and  had  to  be  released.  In  their  places  were 
substituted  two  students  just  entering  the  Graduate  School,  with  neither 
training  for,  nor  experience  in  the  counselorship.  They  had  the  further 
disadvantages  of  carrying  two  college  courses  each,  to  divide  their  time 
and  attention. 

The  Camp  Newspaper 

Proljabl}'  the  most  outstanding  project  of  the  1928  camp  was  the 
"Scy  Rocket,"  a  camper's  weekly  paper.     Although  not  new  the  camp 


A  Sdj-Govcrning  Camp  Without  Awards  97 

paper  had  not  before  succeeded  in  holding  ennu^li  interest  to  continue 
throughout  the  summer.  The  "Scy  Rocket"  staiT  in  1928  wrote  and 
mimeographed  seven  weekly  issues  averaging  11  ]xiges  each.  The  boys 
did  all  the  work  except  cutting  the  stencils.  At  the  end  of  the  summer 
the  copies  were  bound  in  two  volumes  and  given  to  each  camper  as  a 
"Memory  Book."  Much  of  this  success  was  due  to  the  son  of  a  news- 
paper editor,  a  boy  who  had  had  some  experience  on  his  high  school 
publication  and  who  aroused  other  boys  by  his  enthusiasm.  Counselors 
gave  it  their  commendation  and  freely  wrote  articles  when  requested. 

This  third  year  of  the  self-governing  plan  was  marked  by  greater 
participation  of  the  boys  in  planning  and  by  greater  range  of  interests. 
Photography,  Indian  lyore,  beadwork.  leathercraft.  and  first  aid  were 
added  to  the  list  of  informal  interest  groups  which  flourished.  Many 
informal  play  periods  were  enjoyed  in  the  college  gymnasium  as  well. 
Treasure  hunts  were  described  enthusiastically  in  the  "Scy  Rocket." 
Athletic  sports,  while  not  stressed,  furnished  fun  and  recreation  with 
so  much  changing  of  teams  as  to  furnish  a  large  percentage  of  partici- 
pation with  no  prolonged  competition. 

Several  standing  committees  appointed  by  the  camp  conference  car- 
ried responsibility  for  many  phases  of  camp  program.  Sunday  worship 
services  were  held  in  the  camp  outdoor  chapel,  the  boys  choosing  their 
own  camp  pastor  from  the:  men  available  about  Blue  Ridge. 

Nor  was  there  any  lagging  in  interest  in  the  older"  activities  of  the 
Woodcraft  Council  Ring  programs,  archery,  woodworking.  Nature 
Lore.  The  program  of  hikes  and  trips  was  even  more  extensive.  The 
discussion  groups  were  continued  but  centered  about  everyday  problems 
of  camp  life.  The  older  group  elected  to  make  a  study  of  the  place  of 
sex  in  human  life. 

Besides  describing  all  these  activities  of  the  campers,  the  "Scy  Rock- 
et" contained  jokes,  cartoons,  short  stories,  and  brief  character  sketches 
of  counselors  and  campers  written  after  the  style  of  "Interviews  With 
Famous  People." 

A  1928  Summary 

No  camp-craft  course  was  oflfered  by  the  college,  and  counselors' 
meetings  were  not  held  on  any  regular  schedule.  Several  evaluation 
devices  were  tried  but  they  furnished  little  useful  data.  The  most  inter- 
esting was  a  camp  summary  sheet  on  which  each  boy  recorded  what  he 
had  "learned,"  "improved  in,"  "enjoyed  most,"  and  what  he  considered 
"of  most  real  value"  to  him. 

The  total  number  of  activities  listed  by  the  boys  numljered  56.  The 
items  mentioned  most  frequently  as  "learned"  were  in  order:  Nature 
Lore,  leathercraft,  and  woodwork.  Those  "improved  in"  were  swim- 
ming, track,  and  woodwork.  The  activities  "enjoyed  most"  by  the 
largest  number  were  swimming,  hiking,  riding.  Those  held  to  be  of 
most  real  value  were  discussion  groups,  hiking,  worship  services,  nature 
lore,  and  swimming. 


98  Or ga?iized  Camfitig  and  Progressive  Education 

One  of  the  counselors  summarized  his  evakiation  of  the  1928  season 
in  the  paragraph  below : 

The  organization  by  bands  was  good,  the  inspection  system  needed  more  guid- 
ance, and  the  camp  conference  more  regularity.  The  Council  worked  well,  but 
the  committee  system  needed  a  lot  more  follow-up.  Frequent  regular  couneslors' 
meetings  were  needed  for  analyzing  individual  campers — should  have  been  on  a 
regular  schedule  as  was  the  Campcraft  class  the  j'ear  before.  The  hike  schedule 
was  good  but  should  have  been  planned  so  a^  to  develop  more  fellowship.  The 
projects  accepted  by  bands  were  neglected  and  needed  to  he  geared  in  with  general 
camp  program ;  so  did  interest  groups  and  athletics.  The  discussion  groups  were 
good,  but  really  turned  into  classes  on  special  topics.  There  was  missing  a  strong 
central  authority  and  the  respect  for  it.  The  Council  Ring  programs  was  a 
strong  point." 

An  Academic  Director  In  A  Self-Governing  Camp 

The  most  complete  change  in  camp  staff  came  in  1929,  when  the 
only  member  of  the  staff  who  had  been  in  the  camp  before  was  the 
Camp  Mother  and  dietician.  Seven  campers  of  1928  returned,  how- 
ever, and  since  among  them  were  some  of  the  oldest  and  most  active 
campers,  they  carried  over  much  camp  tradition. 

The  Supervising  and  Personnel  Director  was  the  new  Director  of 
Boys  Work  courses  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Graduate  School,  while  the  resi- 
dent Camp  Director  was  a  man  who  had  formerly  been  a  State  BoyS' 
Secretary  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  where  much  of  his  experience  had  been 
in  organizing  and  supervising  Hi-Y  clubs.  Effort  was  made  to  organ- 
ize and  run  the  camp  on  much  the  same  plan  as  the  Hi-Y  club,  which 
is  usually  a  voluntary  purpose  group  of  older  boys  in  a  high  school  with 
a  faculty  or  adult  adviser.  To  provide  for  the  cabin  life  the  old  wood- 
craft forms  were  retained.  This  tended  toward  a  double  headed  pro- 
gram, council  ring  being  one  center  and  the  Hi-Y  club  the  other,  both 
including  the  same  boys  and  counselors. 

The  policy  of  the  Supervising  and  Personnel  Director  was  to  develop 
a  campi  of  cooperative  living  groups ;  but  the  resident  director's  expe- 
rience had  been  on  a  more  academic  basis.  Like  the  first  director^-''  he 
had  found  it  difficult  to  change  his  philosophy  and  even  more  difficult 
to  change  his  practice.  Late  selection  of  untrained  counselors  added 
to  the  difficulty.  The  struggle  toward  a  cooperative  plan,  and  the  num- 
ber of  points  at  which  the  resident  director  assumed  the  authority  to 
make  and  enforce  decisions  was  shown  clearly  in  a  "Histor}',"  written 
by  one  of  the  counselors.^*'  In  fact,  1929  shows  a  mixture  of  three 
different  methods  of  camp  government :  ( 1 )  the  autocratic,  represented 
by  the  resident  director;  (2)  self-government,  represented  by  the  old 
campers,  and  (3)  cooperative,  represented  by  the  supervising  director. 
The  history  shows  that  the  resident  director  was  not  able  to  get  the  new 
viewpoint  of  a  self-governing  camp  and  that  the  hoys  and  counselors 
felt  that  he  dominated  the  situation  more  than  he  suspected.     There  was 

"Document  No.  22. 
"See  Chapter  4. 
"Document  No.  23. 


A  St'lf-Go7.'t-r;a//o-  Camp  Witliout  Awards  99 

a  certain  strictness  regarding  inspections,  taking  hikes,  and  attending 
meetings.  Some  of  the  most  loyal  campers  said  he  was  "a  little  too 
bossy." 

Each  boy  was  given  a  numerical  grade  on  each  of  the  hikes  he  took, 
just  as  he  might  have  been  on  an  algebra  lesson  in  school,  although  it 
is  not  evident  what  use  was  made  of  these  grades  or  ratings.  Perhaps 
they  were  kept  to  see  what  improvement  was  made  by  each  boy. 

While  considering  this  matter  of  hiking  it  may  be  well  to  note  that 
it  had  always  been  considered  a  real  test  of  a  good  camper  at  Scy  Camp. 
It  was  made  compulsory  by  the  first  camp  director  in  1923  and  al- 
though it  had  later  become  voluntary  in  theory,  there  was  almost  always 
an  undertone  of  feeling  (whether  fostered  actively  bv  directors  and 
counselors  or  carried  over  as  a  tradition  by  old  campers)  that  a  fellow 
who  chose  to  remain  in  camp  when  a  hike  was  going  out  was  a  bit 
lazy,  "yellow"  or  lacking  in  some  of  the  qualities  of  manliness.  There 
was  probably  less  of  this  attitude  in  1928  than  any  previous  year,  and 
it  has  been  noted  how  high  the  hiking  rated  among  the  activities  as 
"Enjoyed"  and  as  "Valuable."  The  attitude  of  the  1929  group  must 
have  undergone  another  change.  Here  is  a  counselor's  editorial  in 
the  camp  paper : 

WHY  HIKE? 

"I  don't  see  what  we  have  to  go  on  these  old  hikes  for  anyway."  "I  don't  get 
enough  sleep  as  it  is." 

Such  expressions  as  these  may  be  heard  from  nearly  every  shack  just  before  a 
hike  and  just  after  they  get  back  the  same  fellows  are  the  first  to  say  what  a  good 
time  they  had.  Is  it  because  there  is  a  rule  that  they  have  to  go  on  these  hikes 
or  is  iti  that  they  just  remember  the  price  they  have  to  pay  for  this  outdoor  ex- 
perience ?  Our  young  heroes  who  gripe  so  much  about  these  hikes  sit  back  and 
read  stories  of  outdoor  life  and  wish  that  they  too  might  havej  lived  in  the  "wild 
and  wooly"  days  when  each  man  was  his  own  infantry  and  cavalry.  Practically 
everyone  of  our  boys  here  have  lived  over  and  over  the  life  of  a  cowboy  or  iK;r- 
haps  the  extreme  case  of  "Tarzan"  and  yet  when  the  camp  calls  on  them  to  go 
on  a  little  outing  they  offer  excuses  and  express  their  displeasure  at  the  fact 
that  the  leaders  just  want  to  take  them  out  and  make  them  carry  an  old  pack  just 
to  wear  them  out.  Yet  when  they  go  back  to  their  less  fortunate  boy  friends  who 
could  not  camp  they  will  brag  about  having  "slept  under  the  stars"  and  having 
cooked  their  own  meals. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  the  writer  that  if  these  hikes  were  taken  off  the  compulsory 
list  and  made  more  honorary  that  in  a  few  weeks  instead  of  griping  about  having 
to  go  they  would  fuss  if  they  could  not  go.  The  hike  could  be  planned  forj  only 
the  deserving  ones  and  the  competition  would  be  keen  to  get  to  go.  After  all  is 
this  not  human  nature?  We  never  appreciate  what  we  have  and  it  is  only  when 
things  are  hard  to  get  that  we  work  for  them.  No  rose  is  quite  so  pretty  as  the 
one  just  out  of  reach  and  so  no  hike  would  be  quite  so  good  as  the  one  we  were 
not  allowed  to  make.'' 

Although  the  camp  paper  was  not  so  extensive  as  in  1928  it  was 
edited  by  the  same  boy  and  reflected  an  interesting  variety  of  activities 
and  a  good  camp  spirit. 

^'Document  No.  24. 


100  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

The  four  years  of  experimentation  covered  by  this  chapter  show 
certain  advantages  of  a  self-governing  plan  over  the  more  academic 
procedures  of  the  first  three  years.  The  elimination  of  the  award  system 
was  a  complete  success. 

Whether  the  c^mp  was  really  "democratic"  or  not  may  be  a  matter 
of  opinion.  The  experimentation  in  self-government  suggested  that  the 
extent  of  democracy  in  a  camp  depended  more  upon  the  attitudes  of 
the  directors  and  counselors  toward  the  campers  and  upon  their  educa- 
tional philosophies  than  upon  activities  and  governmental  machinery. 


CHAPTER  VI 

AN  EXPERIMENT  IN  COOPERATIVE  LIVING 

For  the  season  of  1930  the  Director  of  Boys'  Work  Courses  in  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  Graduate  School  took  a  more  active  part  in  the  direction 
of  the  camp.  He  was  assisted  by  a  Program  Director  who  had  been 
a  counselor  in  the  camp  in  1928  and  had  completed  his  courses  at  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  Graduate  School  in  1929.  The  counselors  came  fresh  from 
a  year's  training  in  boys'  work  at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Graduate  School. 

Articles  from  the  Scy  Rocket  reflect  the  change  in  camp  spirit  which 
came  with  the  working  out  of  the  cooperative  policy, 

SCY  ROCKET  BEGINS  ON  NEW  BASIS 

With  this  as  its  first  issue  of  the  year,  the  Scy  Rocket  inaugurates  its  third 
summer  of  publication  on  an  entirely  different  basis  from  that  which  it  has  em- 
ployed in'  former  years.  Formerly,  the  "Rocket"  was  written  by  a  very  few  of 
the  campers,  with  the  body  of  the  camp  having  nothing  to  do  with  its  comi)osition. 

This  season,  contributions  will  be  received  from  any  boy  or  counselor;  in  the 
camp.  The  editors  will  correct  copy  and  arrange  the  material,  writing  only  when 
the  campers  fall  down  on  their  job.  Under  this  new  system  assignments  will  be 
posted  on  the  bulletin  board  in  front  of  the  main  lodge.  Any  camper  who  wants 
to  write  up  any  of  the  events  listed  on  the  bulletin  board  needs  only  to  sign  his 
name  opposite  it  to  get  a  "scoop."  If  the  article,  when  turned  in,  is  acceptable, 
it  will  be  published ;  if  it  is  not,  it  will  be  returned  with  suggested  corrections. 

In  this  way  the  "Scy  Rocket"  will  mean  more  than  just  a  camp  paper.  It  will 
be  a  chronicle  of  camp  life  written  by  those  who  take  part  in  it,  a  paper,  of  the 
campers,  by  the  campers,  and  for  the  campers.^ 

The  cabin  group  and  Camp  Council  organization  was  similar  to 
that  of  1928.    The  variety  of  activities  and  projects  was  also  continued. 

Probably  the  most  important  change  noted  in'  a  reading  of  the  1930 
Scy  Rocket  is  the  almost  total  absence  of  any  references  to  organization 
schemes  or  plans  of  government.  The  camp  had  gone  from  academic 
program  and  autocratic  organization  to  the  more  or  less  democratic 
way  of  organizing  achieved  in  1927  and  1928.  Then  in  1929,  elements 
of  both  the  old  types  and  a  new  were  mixed  in  the  philosophies  of  the 
Directors,  counselors  and  campers.  A  new  unity  of  purpose  was 
achieved  in  1930  in  a  form  of  government  which  was  neither  autocratic 
nor  yet  democratic,  but  cooperative. 

This  plan  did  not  measure  the  degree  of  control  or  authority  camp- 
ers and  counselors  wielded,  but  treated  them  as  persons  who  differed 
in  experience,  but  who  could  live  and  work  together  cooperatively  to 
accomplish  purposes  that  were  individual  yet  social.  There  seemed 
to  be  a  free,  happy,  creative  spirit  about  the  writers  in  the  1930  camp 
paper.  There  was  nowhere  an  impression  of  being  cram.ped  and 
thwarted. 


^Document  No.   25. 

101 


102  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

ScY  Camp  in  1931 

While  the  same  general  policies  and  methods  as  in  1930  were  carried 
out  by  the  same  Director  and  Program  Director  there  were  several 
changes  in  the  1931  camp.  The  name  was  changed  to  Camp  Blue  Ridge 
for  Boys  and  the  camp  was  planned  for  three  age  groups,  each  with 
much  separate  planning  for  program.  Up  to  this  time  the  camp  had 
advertised  12  as  its  lower  age  limit,  although  a  few  10  and  11-year-old 
boys  were  admitted. 

In  1931  one  age  group  was  organized  for  the  9  to  11  year  olds. 
The  enrollment  with  this  arrangement  was  larger  than  for  any  previous 
year,  running  about  14  or  15  to  each  of  the  three  divisions. 

The  Camp  Counselors  were  a  group  of  young  men,  most  of  whom 
had  come!  from  a  year's  training  in  Boys'  Work  courses  in  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  Graduate  School.     Their  general  qualifications  are  listed  below: 

"Casey" — 25  years,  M.  A.,  35^  years  teaching;  no  camping.  (2  years  C.M.T.C.) 

"Jesse" — 22  years,  B.  A.,  no  camping. 

"Charlie" — 22  years,  B.  A.  and  1  year  graduate  study.  Three  years  camp 
leadership. 

"Deke" — 24  years,  M.  A. 

"Pat"— 38  years,  2  years  college  work ;  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Boys'  Work,  including 
camp  work  10  years.     Scy  Camp  1927. 

"Mac" — 22  years,  1  year  graduate  study ;  five  summers  in  camp  work. 

Geo. — 22  years,  1  year  graduate  study;  one  summer  in  camp  work. 

This  made  up  what  was  probably  the  best  trained  counselor  group 
the  camp  ever  had.  Listed  as  Junior  Counselors  were  experienced  older 
campers  who  could  lead  in  some  interest  group. 

The  organization  by  cabin  groups  and  by  Bands  of  the  Woodcraft 
League  continued  without  any  great  emphasis  being  put  upon  the  type 
of  organization  or  government.  There  were  councils  and  committees 
for  controlling  and  planning  the  programs  of  activities  and  for  regulat- 
ing the  lives  of  the  campers  where  necessary,  but  this  machinery  was 
little  in  evidence.  The  campers  entered  into  the  program  as  they  be- 
came interested  and  wished  to  participate,  and  the  counselors  studying 
the  individuals,  tried  to  enlarge  the  boys'  interests  and  to  enrich  their 
living  through  e.xam})le  and  suggestion — personal  guidance. 

A  regular  schedule  was  worked  out  for  instrtiction  in  any  activities 
in  which  a  group  desired  it.  This  provided  for  a  wider  range  of  interest 
groups  than  ever  before.  It  was  worked  out  by  the  committee  on 
Interest  Groups  and  published  in  an  early  issue  of  the  camp  paper, 
renamed  "The  Blue  Ridge  Camper."  Certain  groups  met  on  one  day 
and  others  another,  so  each  day's  schedule  was  different.  New  groups 
were,  clay  modeling,  soaj)  carving,  model  airplanes,  basketry,  l)oxing, 
wrestling,  and  dramatics. 

Without  the  cooperative  attitude  in  camp  government  could  you  have 
had  such  an  editorial  paragraph  by  one  of  the  boys  as  the  one  below? 

Do  you  keep  your  cabin  clean,  inside  and  out?  WHiy  not  take  some  pride  in  it? 
Health  officers  visited  our  camp  Thursday  and  were  not  pleased  with  tlie  condi- 
tion 111'  the  cabins.     F,veryone  knrws  tliat  our  good  hca'lii  depends  a  great  deal  on 


A?i  Experiment  in  Cooperative  Living  103 

our  living  conditions.     Let's  get  behind  the  movement  to  keep  clean  and  boost  it 
every  day.^ 

This  seems  to  mark  a  point  in  the  process  where  there  was  lack  of 
the  coercion,  or  extrinsic  stimulation  which  centers  around  the  competi- 
tive inspection,  but  where  the  suggestions  of  counselors  and  public  opin- 
ion had  not  yet  brought  the  boys  to  accept  the  responsibility  on  tlieir 
own  initiative  in  a  satisfactory  manner. 

The  following  twelve  statements  presented  on  a  page  of  the  camp 
paper  probably  are  suggestions  from  some  director  or  counselor  to  help 
mold  public  opinion  and  bring  about  changes  in  behavior  through  group 
approval  or  disapproval. 

WHEN  IS  A  BOY  A  GOOD  CAMPER  AT  CAMP  BLUE  RIDGE? 
When: 
\.  He  gets  up  promptly  at  reveille. 

2.  He  comes  to  breakfast  and  all  other  meals  clean  in  person  and  dress  with 
hair  combed. 

3.  He  is  busily  engaged  and  happy  in  the  activities  of  camp,  (movies  and  radio 
are  not  camp  activities)  such  as  arts  and  crafts,  nature  study,  woodcraft, 
baseball,  riding,  athletics  and  games,  camp  paper,  dramatics,  discussions,  hikes, 
and  swimming. 

4.  Re  reports  and  takes  care  of  cuts,  sprains  and  illness  promptly. 

5.  He  thinks  of  the  other  fellow  first  in  all  activities,  in  cabins  and  at  meals. 

6.  He  gets  sufficient  sleep. 

7.  He  contributes  thoughtful  suggestions  to  the  thinking  of  his  cabin  group  and 
his  committee. 

8.  He  is  careful  of  his  belongings  and  is  unselfish  in  their  use. 

9.  He  assumes  leadership  in  the  things  worthwhile  and  when  he  assumes  respon- 
sibility for  the  camp  and  its  good  name  the  same  as  any  counselor  or  staff 
member. 

10.  He  cooperates  and  serves  willingly  and  smiles  rather  than  sulks. 

11.  He  has  ambition  and  has  initiative  and  does  not  have  to  be  prodded  constantly. 

12.  He  is  prompt  and  courteous  at  all  times.' 

Another  little  editorial  paragraph  indicates  the  freedom  of  the  co- 
operative plan  and  seems  the  natural  way  to  conduct  a  group  of  this 
kind. 

Attend  the  discussion  groups ;  they  are  not  stiflf  nor  formal ;  everyone  gets  a 
chance  to  express  his  views.  The  topic  for  discussion  is  based  on  the  wishes  of 
thei  group.     You  will  miss  something  valuable  if  you  stay  away.* 

Athletics  and  sports  seem  to  have  been  organized  not  for  strong 
competitions,  but  to  enlist  the  participation  of  every  camper  in  more 
active  sport.     The  following  paragraph  from  the  paper  gives  the  plan: 

This  past  week  the  camp  has  been  divided  into  four  equal  parts  for  leagues, 
tournaments  and  contests  in  several  sports.  Some  of  the  schedules  are  now  made 
out  and  posted  on  the  bulletin  board.  Go  there  and  sign  for  the  different  tourna- 
ments. A  feature  will  be  a  counselor-camper  diamond  ball  game  every  Sunday 
morning  just  after  chapel.^ 

These  divisions  were  not  organized  for  strong  competition  like  the 
plans  of  having  "Reds"  and  "Blues."     There  was  no  point  system  and 


'Document   No.   26. 
^Ibid. 
'Op  cit. 
'Op  cit. 


104  Organized  Cam-ping  and  Progressive  Education 

each  game  or  contest  was  played  for  the  fun  of  it;  and  no  system  or 
carrying  forward  points  or  credits  to  determine  some  championship 
or  cup-winner.  Some  parents  criticized  the  counselor-camper  diamond- 
ball  game  on  Sunday  morning,  but  the  boys  themselves  never  seemed 
to  question  it  or  to  feel  that  it  was  at  all  out  of  place. 

It  indicated  that  the  camp  group  was  not  afraid  to  set  its  own  stand- 
ards and  to  make  changes  where  their  thinking  opposed  tradition.  This 
is  indicated  again  in  the  following  paragraph  by  the  Program  Editor : 

Sunday  night  the  camp  tried  out  a  new  form  of  Vesper  service.  Four  of  the 
boys  from  the  Explorers  and  Pioneer  groups  gave  talks  in  the  outdoor  chapel. 
Pewee  spoke  on  the  "Evils  of  Bad  Language";  "Tarzan"  spoke  on  "Missionary 
Work  in  Africa"  ;  Howard  spoke  on  "American  Patriotism"  and  Willie  discussed 
"Campers'  Problems."  Each  of  these  fellows  chose  his  own  subject.  It  was 
worthwhile  to  hear  them.     Let  us  have  more  of  it." 

HEALTH  Emphasis 

Probably  the  outstanding  emphasis  of  the  camp  in  1931  was  that 
upon  a  health  program.  The  boys  were  made  aware  of  their  standing 
in  physical  development  to  a  greater  degree  than  in  previous  years,  and 
the  whole  program  was  studied  and  tested  to  determine  whether  it 
served  the  purpose  of  building  up  the  health  and  physique  of  the  boys. 
This  emphasis  on  the  health  program  is  reflected  in  an  editorial  in  the 
camp  paper  about  the  middle  of  the  camp  season. 

Foremost  in  the  lives  of  successful  men  comes  health.  It  is  the  basis  of  happy 
existence.  Camp  Blue  Ridge  aims  to  give  to  its  boys  those  things  that  count  for 
success  and  happiness  in  the  future.  Thus  it  has  thought  through  and  outlined 
for  us  a  good  health  program.  This  program  is  not  forced  upon  the  camper,  but 
it  is  for  his  own  benefit  to  try  to  be  healthy.  It  is  merely*  suggested  and  it  is  up 
to  him. 

There  are,  perhaps,  many  things  essential  to  good  health,  which  we  neglect. 
One  should  remember  that  the  lake  does  not  serve  the  purpose  of  a  shower  and 
soap.  Then,  too,  a  tooth  brush  is  necessary  for  a  clean  mouth.  Meals  arc  much 
better  when  one  has  rested  before  them  and  the  rest  period  after  meals  aids  greatly 
in  digestion.  Try  to  rest,  take  care  of  yourself  in  every  way.  Observe  the  health 
program  and  be  rewarded  with  the  priceless  possession  of  good  health  for  your 
labor.' 

In  this  healtli  program  not  only  were  the  ordinary  rules  emphasized, 
but  each  boy's  weight  was  watched  carefully  and  those  that  were  greatly 
underweight  were  given  extra  food  in  the  middle  of  the  mornings  and 
afternoons  and  were  helped  to  plan  their  activities  and  rest.  All  camp- 
ers were  urged  to  be  quiet  and  rest  for  fifteen  to  thirty  minutes  ahead 
of  the  meals  and  the  quiet  hour  after  dinner  was  especially  stressed. 
When  boys  went  on  hikes  they  were  observed  to  see  how  mtich  fatigue 
they  showed,  and  esj^ecially  to  see  how  much  weight  they  lost.  If  an 
underweight  boy  lost  weight  which  he  did  not  gain  back  in  a  day  or 
two  he  was  not  encouraged  to  hike  again  until  he  built  up  more.  The 
records  were  carefully  kept  and  they  justified  the  careful  procedure 


'Op  cit. 
^Op  cit. 


An  Experiment  in  Coofer alive  Living  105 

and  special  attention  given  to  the  building  of  health  and  physique. 

Appearing  as  a  news  article  in  the  camp  paper  of  August  8  is  a 
resume  of  results  in  weight  gained  during  the  first  month  of  camp. 

After  a  period  of  one  month  a  check  on  the  efforts  of  the  boys  who  have  tried 
to  gain  and  those  who  wished  to  lose  shows  by  the  record  a  decided  advantage 
in  favor  of  the  health  policy.  The  following  deserve  honorable  mention)  for  the 
progress  made:  our  dietition,  our  doctor  and  "Deke,"  who  has  directed  the 
program  and  done  the  weighing.  First  mention  goes  to  the  tx)ys  who  have 
helped  by  following  instructions.  The  weight  results  follow : 
Group  A— 14%  or  more  underweight— 12  boys  gained  i.l  lbs.  per  boy;  one  held 

his  own. 
Group  B — 10%  to  14%  underweight — 8  boys  gained  3.9  lbs.  per  boy. 
Group  C — 7%  to  10%  underweight — 4  boys  gained  5.87  lbs.  per  boy,  one  lost  .1  lb. 
Group  D — Normal  to  7%  underweight — 3  boys  gained  2.4  lbs.  each. 
Group  E — Normal  or  above — 7  boys  gained  3.1  lbs.  each.* 

Individual  Guidance 

The  comment  below  from  a  counselor  points  out  places  where  the 
camp  could  have  carried  out  its  cooperative  purpose  of  giving  individual 
guidance  to  the  boys  in  better  fashion. 

The  program  has  been  diversified,  interesting  and  every  camper  has  profited 
by  it,  but  there  have  been  too  many  conflicts  in  the  schedule  of  instruction. 
Scheduling  for  age-groups  rather  than  for  the  camp  as  a  whole  might  give  better 
results. 

It  seems  sometimes  that  we  have  been  entertaining  campers  too  much  rather 
than  motivating  them  to  do  things  for  themselves  and  to  develop  certain  skills. 
The  counselor  in  charge  of  certain  sports,  for  instance,  did  not  seem  concerned 
enough  with  technical  instructions.  This  may  or  may  not  have  been  due  to  lack 
of  time. 

I  think  that  the  program  director  should  attend  and  participate  more  in  the 
activities  that  he  plans,  if  for  no  otlier  reason  than  to  sense  the  reaction  of  the 
campers  to  these  activities.  I  think  that  there  had  been  too  much  scheduling, 
especially  since  the  camp  is  attempting  to  build  up  the  weight  and  strength  of 
many  boys.  As  it  is  the  day  is  entirely  too  full  for  many  of  thesei  boys  w'ho'  are 
underweight. 

My  observation  of  the  camp  committees  we  have  had  for  chapel,  campfire, 
dramatics,  etc.,  is  that  they  accomplish  little.  I  do  not  wish  to  criticize  the  idea 
of  committees  but  rather  the  way  those  committees  are  chosen.  The  members  are 
picked  too  soon  (before  they  show  any  interest)  and  a  counselor  is  pretty  lucky 
if  he  gets  much  help  from  the  committee  assigned  to  assist  him  on  a  certain  task. 
Too  many  of  the  committees  are  misfits. 

Most  important  of  all,  if  we  are  really  going  to  help  boys  make  adjustments 
to  life  situations  and  center  our  program  around  the  individual,  we  should  make 
a  careful  and  constant  study  of  the  cumulative  records  of  every  boy  in  camp. 
Each  counselor  should  study  each  of  his  campers  and  understand  as  much  of  his 
background  as  possible. 

We  fall  short  here,  because  the  records  we  keep  are  not  studied  carefully 
enough  until  camp  is  over.  Of  course  such  records  are  valuable  in  helping  coun- 
selors understand  boy  life,  but  this  later  study  is  not  of  enough  value  to  the  boy 
of  whom  the  study  is  made. 

Things  more  or  less  ideal : 

The  fellowship  between  counselors,  directors,  and  campers  is  splendid;  the 
meals  are  above  reproach,  the  best  I've  ever  had  in  any  camp  and  as  good  as  I 

"Op  cit. 


106  Organized  Cam-ping  and  Progressive  Education 

expect  to  find  anywhere.  I  like  the  spirit  of  the  camp  and  the  idea  of  non- 
compulsion,  the  amount  of  leisure  time  a  camper  might  enjoy  during  the  day. 
Of  course  the  attempt  to  create  self-directing,  purposeful,  creative  individuals  is 
interesting  and  thoroughly  worthwhile,  and  the  educational  processes  involved  are 
valuable  to  anyone  working  with  youth.* 

These  criticisms  indicate  that  the  degree  of  success  in  accompHsh- 
ment  did  not  nearly  come  up  to  the  possibiHties  thought  to  He  in  the 
policy  adopted.  The  experiment  pointed  a  direction  which  the  coun- 
selors wished  to  see  pursued  until  larger  success  could  be  attained.  The 
ideal  of  individual  study  and  guidance  of  campers  was  being  envisaged, 
but  even  with  cumulative  individual  records  kept,  it  had  not  been  worked 
out  completely.  Could  camp  Directors  and  Counselors  be  provided  with 
the  skills,  techniques  and  time  to  do  an  effective  piece  of  work  in  this 
field? 

Studying  Personality  Change  in  Camp 

Efforts  were  made  in  preceding  years  to  study  the  program  of  camp 
and  to  evaluate  it  by  tests  which  aimed  to  show  changes  in  attitudes 
and  to  indicate  by  the  number  and  kind  of  these  changes  whether  the 
camp  program  was  making  the  desired  contribution  to  the  lives  of  the 
campers.  In  1930  and  1931  a  shift  was  begun  from  mass  to  individual 
study  of  campers.  Instead  of  tabulating  general  changes  for  the  mass, 
each  boy's  personality  was  to  be  studied ;  he  was  to  be  aided  in  growth 
and  development  as  he  was  better  understood  and  his  needs  for  adjust- 
ment observed.  This  was  not  primarily  an  evaluation  of  the  camp 
program :  it  was  the  means  for  organizing  the  camp  program  for  a 
happy  adjustment  of  individual  campers.  It  required  intelligent  coop- 
eration of  parents,  campers,  counselors  and  Directors.  The  Camp  Di- 
rector descri])ed  the  methods  and  hypotheses  of  the  experiment  in  an 
article  for  the  Camping  Magazine. 

Modern  camping,  if  efficient  and  intelligent,  rests  fundamentally  upon  a 
knowledge  of  the  processes  underlying  personality  development.  The  study  of 
personality  has  taken  a  variety  of  directions.  We  have  had  the  instinct  emphasis 
and  the  insistance  of  those  who  hold  this  view  that  personality  developed  through 
supplying  a  favorable  intellectual  atmosphere  for  the  unfolding  of  innate  or  inborn 
qualities  of  the  child.  This  intellectual  atmosphere  was  supplied  by  organized 
systems  of  educatioll^  in  school  and  camp.  There  was  little  realization  that  youth 
is  educated  outside  of  systems  for  education  even  more  than  inside."* 

Mr.  Stone  discussed  not  only  the  instinct  theory,  but  also  behavior- 
ism and  psychoanalysis ;  then  said  : 

After  examining  all  these,  the  directors  and  counselors  of  Scy  Camp  decided 
to  test  out  the  sociological  approach.  This  approach  deals  with  an  objective  world 
reflected  in  the  behavior  of  persons.  It  begins  with  the  hypothesis  that  personality 
is  the  cumulative  result  of  adjustments  to  the  varying  conditions  of  life.  Person- 
ality is  therefore  a  variable  and  is  developed  in  the  interaction  of  the  individual  in 
a  social  situation.  This  interaction  or  response,  or  behavior  varies  from  group 
to  group  and  situation  to  situation,  and  is  in  reality  interaction  of  attitude.  A  boy 
learns  to  play  the  roles  expected  of  him  in  the  various  groups  forming  his  world. 


•Document  No.  27. 

'"Stone,    Walter    L.  ;    Parents    Cooperate    with    Camp    in    Study    of    Personality 
Development;  The  Camping  Magazine,  Vol.  3,  February,   1931,  p.  31. 


An  Experiment  in  Cooperative  Lining  107 

Behavior  will  never  be  wholly  understood  for  training  or  control  puri)oses  until 
we  understand  the  attitudes  or  roles  the  child  plays. 

....  We  would  know  the  total  response  to  the  total  situation  if  we  could  liave 
a  moving  talking  picture  of  each  boy  during  his  stay  in  camp.  Our  task  was  to 
work  out  a  case  study  technique  for  each  boy,  including  the  home  situation  he 
came  from  and  the  camp  situation  he  was  in,  that  would  give  us  as  near  as  possible 
this  total  picture. 

....  The  following  factors  were  included  in  our  case  study  of  each  W^y  in  the 
camp  situation  : 

I.  Physique,  including  both  physical  and  medical  cxaminatitms.  The  camper 
brought  with  him  the  medical  examination  of  the  C.  D.  A.  and  with  tiiis  as  a 
background  a  complete  examination  was  made. 

Physique  and  health  were  noted  in  reference  to  the  role  a  boy  played  in  the 
various  camp  situations.  What  difference,  for  example,  did  height  have  in  a  boy 
being  chosen  for  certain  athletic  contests  ?  What  expectancy  was  there  on  the 
part  of  other  boys  because  of  his  height  ?  What  attitude  did  the  boy  exhibit '' 
If  he  lived  up  to  what  was  expected  of  him  what  was  the  result?  If  he  failed 
what  was  the  result  ? 

II.  Intelligence  :  From  the  parents  of  the  boy  we  secured  the  results  of  any 
intelligence  tests  that  had  been  taken.  At  camp  the  Otis-Self  Administering  Test 
was  given. 

III.  Aptitude  and  Interest  were  obtained  from  the  Vocational  Analysis  outline 
and  the  Leyman  Play  Quiz  published  by  Association  Press.  The  latter  was  given 
at  the  beginning  and  end  of  camp  and  indicated  social  participation,  change  in 
interests  and  with  the  vocational  analysis  the  general  direction  and  aptitude  of  the 
boy  or  as  the  Germans  would  say,  his  "aufgabe." 

IV.  Temperament  we  tried  to  understand  as  a  factor  in  personality  development 
through  weekly  reports  of  observation  by  the  cabin  counselor  and  by  the  director 
of  general  temperament  traits  such  as  quick  reaction  or  slow,  in  laughter,  anger, 
fear,  good  will.  These  observations  were  put  alongside  the  boy's  own  rating  of 
all  the  other  campers  in  reference  to  certain  temperamental  factors. 

V.  The  Life  Organization  of  each  boy  we  attempted  to  understand  through 
personal  conference,  observation  of  his  "on  his  own  time"  activity  and  the  infor- 
mation sheet  from  his  parents  regarding  his  physical  and  scholastic  history,  char- 
acter and  disposition,  wishes  and  aspirations  and  fears  and  inhibitions  of  the  boy, 
plus  the  hopes  of  the  parents  for  him.  We  were  interested  in  trying  to  discover 
the  relation  of  parents'  wishes  for  the  boy  to  the  pattern  that  he  seemed  to  be 
trying  to  organize  his  life  by. 

VI.  Personal  Attitudes  were  considered  as  the  sixth  factor  and  were  ascer- 
tained through  the  use  of  the  Personal  Attitudes  Test,  published  by  Association 
Press  and  given  at  the  beginning  and  close  of  camp. 

VII.  The  Personal  Behavior  Pattern  of  the  camper  was  secured  from  the 
ratings  of  the  parents  of  a  Behavior  Frequency  form  the  week  before  the  boy 
came  to  camp,  two  weeks  after  he  returned,  and  the  weekly  ratings  by  the  coun- 
selors of  the  same  form  while  the  boy  was  in  camp. 

VIII.  Conception  of  Self  was  the  last  factor  included  in  our  study  and  was 
secured  from  personal  interviews,  life  histories,,  and  pertinent  data  on  the  voca- 
tional analysis  blanks. 

Twice  during  the  camp  period  of  eight  weeks,  the  parents  were  written  con- 
cerning these  eight  factors  in  personality  development  and  their  criticism,  sug- 
gestion and  counsel  invited.  The  letters  of  the  parents  in  return  were  filed  with 
all  the  other  data  in  the  personal  accumulative  file  for  each  boy. 

A  daily  running  account  of  the  activities,  tone,  spirit  and  atmosphere  of  the 
camp  including  the  state  of  the  weather  and  the  temperature,  and  the  menus  was 
also  kept  by  the  director  as  well  as  a  record  of  the  problems  and  situations  that 
arose  in  the  counselors'  meetings  and  the  meetings  of  the  Boys'  Cabinet. 


108  Organized  Cainfing  and  Progressive  Education 

At  tFie  end  of  camp,  a  diagnosis  of  the  total  responses  of  the  boy  as  revealed 
by  the  records  of  these  factors  in  personahty  development  in  the  various  camp 
situations  was  made ;  and  certain  procedure  in  home  and  school  stations  that  would 
be  necessary  if  certain  personality  traits  were  to  be  either  developed  or  eliminated 
were  suggested." 

Cumulative  Records  of  Campers 

The  cumulative  records  of  the  1930  and  1931  campers  at  Camp  Blue 
Ridge  included  a  number  of  forms  and  devices,  such  as  behavior  fre- 
quency ratings,  "play  qiiz,"  intelligence  tests,  self-analysis  blanks,  in- 
terest analysis  blanks,  personal  attitudes  tests,  questionnaires  to  parents, 
general  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Questionnaires  for  older  and  for  younger  boys 
(including  a  variety  of  topics),  medical  certificates,  physical  examina- 
tion blanks,  application  forms,  correspondence,  and  the  written  obser- 
vations of  the  boys'  cabin  counselors.  Not  every  device  was  used  with 
each  boy,  but  they  were  adapted  to  the  use  of  the  particular  cases. 

Behavior  Frequency  Rating  Scales 

Among  the  devices  used  for  the  individual  study  of  campers  was 
a  form  of  behavior  frequency  rating  scale  listing  26  different  types  of 
behavior.  These  were  sent  to  parents  before  the  boy  came  to  camp; 
the  boy's  counselor  gave  him  the  next  rating  at  the  end  of  the  first  week 
and  again  during  the  last  week ;  blanks  were  sent  to  parents  for  a  final 
rating  within  three  weeks  after  the  boy  returned  home.  In  1931  the 
ratings  are  fairly  complete  for  15  out  of  45  boys.  The  similarity  of 
contour  of  the  four  independent  ratings  by  two  different  individuals 
is  seen  when  they  are  graphed  in  different  colors  on  the  same  form. 
(See  graph  of  a  16  year  old  boy  on  next  page.) 

Does  this  device  then  fairly  accurately  picture  the  impression  a  boy's 
behavior  makes  upon  those  who  have  him  under  observation?  If  so, 
it  should  be  a  fairly  safe  indicator  as  to  what  the  boy's  traits  are  and  a 
fair  guide  to  his  counselor  and  the  director  in  individual  guidance. 
Of  course  no  one  indicator  is  enough. 

In  using  this  device  to  measure  behavior  changes  during  camp  at 
Ahmek,  Dimock  and  Hendry  took  especial  pains  to  have  the  ratings 
based  upon  actual  recorded  occurrences  as  much  as  possible.  The  coun- 
selors were  encouraged  (if  not  required)  to  keep  an  observation  record 
of  Ix^havior  and  then  to  go  over  each  boy's  records  carefully  before 
making  his  behavior  frequency  rating.^-  When  this  was  done  the  be- 
havior frequency  rating  scale  seemed  to  have  a  value  in  measuring 
change,  but  where  used  without  reference  by  the  rater  to  written  records 
of  observed  behavior,  the  device  is  scarcely  valuable  for  measurement. 
It  is  then  just  based  on  impressions  of  the  rater  and  is  less  reliable. 

Parents  tend  to  rate  their  boys'  behavior  slightly  higher  than  do  the 
counselors.    A  possible  reason  for  this  is  that  certain  types  of  behavior 


'Ibid. 

''Camping  and   Chavacter,   Dimock   and   Hendry,   pp.    148   ff  and  pp.    23  7   ff. 


Behavior  Rating  Scale  of 

Forms  of  Behavior 

1.  Is  timid,  prefers  to  be  alone 

2.  Blushes  easily,  is  bashful 

3.  Carries  out  responsibilities 

4.  Bullies,  hurts  feelings  of  others 

5.  Courteous  and  considerate  of  others.  . 

6.  Domineers,   acts   superior 

7.  Truthful  and  aboveboard 

8.  Grouches  and  finds  fault 

9.  Acts  sullen  and  sulky 

10.  Is  neat  in  appearance 

11.  Cooperates  willingly,  serves 

12.  Becomes  angry  easily,  loses  control  of 

temper 

13.  Fights   

14.  Observes  rules  and  regulations 

15.  Is  imaginative  and  dreamy 

16.  Lacks  ambition  and  interest 

17.  Is   lazy    

18.  Assumes  leadership  in  group 

19.  Is  punctual 

20.  Is  unselfish  in  use  of  belongings 

21.  Shows  off,  boasts,  seeks  limelight.  . . . 

22.  Bluffs  or  tries  to  get  by.  . . 

23.  Is  careful  of  belongings 

24.  Fidgets,  twitches,  shows  nervousness. 

25.  Turns  to  others  for  help  in  things  he 

should  do  himself 

26.  Contributes  good  suggestions  to  the 

thinking  of  the  group 

DATE 


Frequency 


An  Experiment  in  Cooperative  Living  100 

may  be  kept  hidden  from  parents  by  boys  who  are  not  so  careful  about 
their  actions  before  counselors.  When  each  form  of  behavior  was 
-given'  a  positive  or  negative  value  and  then  each  column  of  the  rating 
scale  was  given  a  numerical  value  (for  example  "Never"  was  rated  "1" 
and  so  on  up  to  "5"  for  column  "Always").  The  ratings  for  the  fifteen 
cases  studied  showed  the  following  algebraic  sums : 

Parents'  First  rating   plus   104 

Parents'  Second  rating    plus  174 

Counselors'  First  rating plus   107 

Counselors'  Second  rating plus     7Z 

Thus  on  the  whole  the  parents  indicated  improvement  in  behavior 
while  the  counselors  indicated  loss.  This  bears  out  the  fact  that  although 
this  "scale"  is  a  valuable  individual  diagnostic  device  it  is  not  reliable 
for  measuring  changes  under  ordinary  conditions. 

The  Information  Sheet  for  Parents 

It  is  difificult  to  provide  a  questionnaire  for  parents  which  will  bring 
helpful  information  and  not  seem  too  long  and  tedious  for  the  parent 
to  fill  out.  In  1931  a  mimeographed  questionnaire  was  sent  out  con- 
taining topical  headings. 

The  kind  of  information  sent  in  on  each  of  these  topics  by  parents 
may  be  seen  from  the  lists  given  below.  To  save  space  only  a  few 
answers  are  given  under  each  section. 

I.  Physical  History:  (Mention  here  anything  unusual  about  delivery  at  birth, 
sicknesses,  eating  habits,  any  physical  disabilities  or  handicaps,  sleeping  habits, 
nervous  disorders,  physical  habits,  etc.) 

Some  answers  given  to  Section  I : 

1.  Inclines  toward  nervousness ;  eats  sparingly,  sleeps  little  for  a  boy  of  his 
age  (13  years). 

2.  Measles,  whooping  cough,  chicken  pox.  Moderate  degree  of  flat  foot. 
Always  rather  small  for  his  age.  Requires  abundant  sleep  at  night — rarely  able 
to  sleep  by  day.     Eats  well.     Never  overweight. 

3.  Very  weak  stomach,  lack  of  appetite  except  for  starches  or  sugars.  Eyes 
twitching,  restless,  unhappy,  nagged  by  an  older  brother.  Please  try  to  teach  him 
to  eat  green  vegetables. 

4.  Pneumonia  last  fall — subject  to  colds;  eats  little;  walks  and  talks  in  sleep; 
had  ear  trouble  when  young. 

5.  Apt  to  eat  too  rapidly ;  very  intense  with  anything  he  is  interested  in ;  his 
interests  are  apt  to  make  him  go  beyond  his  physical  endurance. 

II.  Scholastic  History:  (Give  here  results  of  any  intelligence  and  aptitude 
tests,  he  may  have  had  in  school ;  grade  in  school  at  present,  his  main  interests, 
hobbies,  studies  he  likes  best.) 

1.  Stood  high  in  intelligence  tests  but  did  not  make  enviable  record  in  first 
year  high  school.     Does  not  take  the  world  seriously. 

2.  Will  be  a  freshman  in  high  school ;  learns  easily  but  does  not  apply  him- 
self ;  likes  "tinkering"  with  tools. 

3.  Seventh  grade ;  school  subjects  show  average  ability  by  tests,  except  that 
he  is  a  slow  reader  and  poor  speller.  Excels  in  less  orthodox  school  subjects, 
such  as  art,  drawing,  music,  dramatics,  public  speaking.  Main  hobby  at  present 
is  "Magic" — shows  ability  in  legerdemain. 

4.  He  is  a  complete  failure  in  school  due  to  unavoidable  difficulties.  Seventh 
grade  pupil ;  likes  to  read.     Likes  history  best. 


110  Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

5.  He  ranked  age  eighteen  in  last  year's  intelligence  t^^st  (11  years  old)  due  I 
think  to  the  fact  that  he  is  an  enormous  reader  and  a  very  rapid  thinker.  He  is  crazy 
about  guns — an  interest  we  do  not  enjoy.  Rocks  fascinate  him;  likes  all  nature 
and  Indian  Lore. 

III.  Character  and  Disposition:  (Describe  here  his  temperament  and  attitude 
as  they  have  been  revealed  in  his  duties  and  responsibilities  at  home,  school,  church, 
boys  organizations.) 

1.  Has  keen  sense  of  justice.  Is  president  of  his  literary  society;  has  not  been 
keen  to  assume  responsibility  around  the  home. 

2.  Very  faithful  in  Church  and  Sunday  School  attendance  and  in  Boy  Scout 
work.  Takes  responsibilities  readily  and  fulfills  them  satisfactorily.  Works  well 
and  independently  in  his  handwork,  seeing  things  through  to  a  finish. 

3.  Sweet  disposition,  reasonable  and  kind,  with  occasional  flares  of  temper ; 
irresponsible. 

4.  Usually  takes  everything  he  does  seriously ;  I  think  he  is  too  serious-minded. 
In  pursuing  any  duty  he  follows  it  through  completely  to  exclusion  off  everything 
else.     It  seems  to  me  he  should  change  from  one  thing  to  another  more  readily. 

5.  He  is)  an  extreme  individualist,  yet  enjoys  the  gang.  His  determination  to 
do  what  he  is  interested  in  or  get  what  he  wants  is  inexhaustible.  As  a  little  boy 
hef  was  extremely  timid.  He  will  not  be  bored ;  if  he  is  not  interested  he  leaves, 
regardless. 

IV.  Wishes  and  Asp-iratioyxs:  (What  wishes  and  hope.si  has  the  boy  revealed 
to  you  about  himself  and  his  future?) 

1.  Has  occasionally  spoken  of  being  a  surgeon;  I  think  he  should  be  a  lavvyer ; 
have  not  pressed  him. 

2.  Nothing  especially  definite  as  yet ;  now  especially  interested  in  reading  the 
life  of  Houdini  and  other  magicians. 

3.  Consistently  desirous  of  being  an  aviator  and  soldier  with  apparently  no 
mechanical  ingenuity. 

4.  Very  ambitious  and  at  present  more  interested  in  mechanical  things ;  in  fact 
he  can  do  most  anything  with  electrical  motors  and  machinery  oif  any  type;  how- 
ever, I  think  this  is  a  temporary  fancy. 

5.  Since  entering  school  has  expressed  a  desire  to  become  a  lawyer  and  has 
never  wavered  from  this  ambition. 

V.  Fears  and  Inhibitions:  (What  fears  and  inhibitions  do  you  think  the  boy 
has  and  how  are  they  shown?     What  weaknesses'  has  he?) 

1.  Cannot  take  criticism  or  correction — gets  sulky. 

2.  No  particular  fears  or  inhibitions  evident.  His  chief  weakness  is  a  con- 
stantly evidenced  jealousy  of  his  youngest  (8-year-old)  brother,  to  whom  many 
things  (such  as  music,  art,  etc.)  come  more  easily  than  to  himself.  This  is  con- 
stantly evidenced  by  unkind  remarks  and  actual  overt  acts.  Very  loving  and 
gentle  with  two-year-old  sister. 

3.  He  is  careless  and  inattentive  and  wants  to  be  rather  domineering  at  times. 

4.  Fears  snakes  and  dogs — even  hugs.  Tires  easily ;  cannot  seem  to  under- 
stand playing.     Seems  to  think'  it  is  a  game  to  take  from;  him  only. 

5.  He  is  very  much  afraid  of  disapproval — not  of  punishment.  He  will  tell  a 
lie  at  times  if  he  is  afraid  of  the  person.  He  has  a  terrible  temper,  but  rarely 
loses  it. 

VI.  Yoiir  Hopes  for  Him:  (In  what  ways  would  you  like  to  have  him 
develop  most?) 

1.  In  his  attitude  towards  his  parents  and  teachers,  and  that  he  should  con- 
tribute his  share  of  small  home  duties — he  is  one  of  five  children;  all  help  will- 
ingly but  him.  He  seems  to  feel  that  we  impose  on  him,  but  the  fact  is  it  takes 
much  talk  to  get  him  to  do  any  task. 

2.  Self-control  under  all  circumstances;  initiative  and  leadership.  Would  also 
like  for  him  to  drop  any  duty  or  subject  when  finished  and  make  decisions  quickly. 
I  believe  he  is  too  serious-minded  and  should  cultivate  more  cheerfulness  when  in 
difficulty.     Ii  think,  too,  he  should  learn  to  turn  oflf   work  more  quickly  and  not 


An  Experiment  in  Cooperative  Living  1 1 1 

have  a  hangover  in  his  mind  when  he  has  done  his  best  to  do  a  good  job  of  it. 
When  he  becomes  deeply  interested  in  anything,  I  think  he  tries  to  do  it  too  goml 
and  allows  his  attention  to  remain  gripi^ed  on  it  too  long  without  change.  I  also 
think  that  he  probably  observes  rules  and  regulations  too  closely.  It  might  be 
better  if  he  broke  a  few  rules  and  kicked  up  a  little  mischief.  He  also  is  very 
careful  of  his  health.  For  instance,  he  won't  drink  iced  tea,  thinking  it  might 
injure  his  health. 

3.  Cooperation  with  other  children — and  learn  to  take  real  interest  in  work. 
Is  a  poor  runner ;  teach  him  how  to  run. 

4.  He  is  too  stout ;  would  like  him  to  have  proper  exercise  and  diet. 

5.  He  is  the  most  interesting,  contains  more  possibilities  for  good  and  bad 
than  any  other  of  my  children  (5).  I  am  most  anxious  that  he  get  the  right 
ideals  of  life;  I  know  he  will  succeed  in  any  work  he  may  undertake. 

VH.  ADDITIONAL  INFORMATION  (What  has  not  been  covered  that 
we  ought  to  know  about  the  boy  in  order  to  understand  him  and  help  him  most?) 

1.  Insist  on  fulfillment  of  all  duties  entrusted  to  him — no  matter  how  trivial. 

2.  Has  rather  unboylike  love  of  saying  "Cattish"  things  about  others,  to  wound 
or  irritate — especially  in  his  own  family.  Perhaps  this  over  critical  attitude  i''. 
due  to  an  inferiority  reaction.  Looks  down  on  those  he  considers  socially  beneath 
him — perhaps  to  irritate  parents  who  are  rather  extreme  in  the  opposite  direction. 

3.  At  times  he  is  kind  and  lovable  and  when  crossed  at  all  seems  to  change 
to  a  cruel,  stubborn  type  which  is  pitiful. 

4.  Wish  him  to  learn  kindness  toward  his  brother  in  camp  and  at  home.  He 
does  not  seem  to  understand  him,  which  makes  home  unpleasant. 

5.  At  present  too  much  like  a  baby ;  has  been  petted  at  home ;  careless  in  his 
home  habits;  needs  to  assume  more  responsibility  for  himself." 

Some  replies  from  parents  are  fragmentary  and  useless,  hut  many 
of  them  give  important  insights  into  the  character  and  personality  traits 
of  the  boys ;  especially  valuable  are  the  indications  of  the  attitudes  of 
their  parents  toward  them  and  their  development.  The  number  of  ex- 
pressed hopes  and  requests  spread  throughout  the  entire  list  of  answers 
furnishes  abundant  inaterial  for  a  full-time  personnel  man  to  work  on. 
Unfortunately  in  Camp  Blue  Ridge  no  one  could  give  enough  time  to 
this  study.  Wherever  possible  parents  were  interviewed  by  the  camp 
director  and  notes  were  taken  on  the  interview  as  quickly  as  possible 
afterward.  The  inaterial  collected  on  these  blanks  served  as  a  good 
beginning  for  each  boy's  cumulative  record  file  and  together  with  the 
behavior  frequency  rating  scales  served  to  steer  the  director  and  coun- 
selors in  their  first  ventures  in  counseling  the  boys. 

Case  Studies 

Space  does  not  allow  detailed  study  of  the  other  devices  such  as 
Interest  Analysis  Blanks,  Lehman's  Play  Quiz,  Self -Analysis  Blanks, 
and  the  "Y.  M.  C.  A.  General  Questions."  Their  value  consists  only 
in  their  contribution  toward  a  good  personality  portrait  of  the  camper. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  follow  some  of  these  Case  Records,  but 
space  will  not  pennit.  There  is  a  rather  voluminous  folder  on  one  of 
the  most  serious  problem  boys  who  came  from  a  disorganized  home. 
The  way  the  boy  responded  to  the  friendly  and  calm  environinent  of 
the  camj),  once  he  got  adjusted  to  it,  is  most  interesting.    Even  in  their 

"Document  No.  28. 


1 1 2  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

limited  time  the  counselors  did  study,  understand,  and  counsel  with  their 
boys.  The  following  final  "Scriptograph"  by  one  of  the  cabin  counsel- 
ors of  a  thirteen-year-old  in  his  group  illustrates  this  fact : 

JACK— FINAL  SCRIPTOGRAPH 

Appearance — fair,  but  as  a  rule  he  did  not  look  neat.  He  had  to  be  reminded 
quite  often  about  washing  his  face  and  combing  his  hair  before  coming  to  the 
dining  lodge.  This  attitude  seemed  to  be  entirely  unintentional  and  just  like  any 
other  boy  thirteen  years  of  age  he  didn't  see  much  use  in  being  so  careful  about 
one's  appearance. 

Disposition — very  good ;  he  seldom  got  mad  or  lost  patience  with  his  fellow 
campers.  In  fact,  during  the  first  six  weeks  of  camp  he  was  inclined  to  take 
too  much  from  other  boys  and  didn't  take  up  for  his  rights  enough.  Jack  was 
always  willing  to  do  his  share  of  the  work  and  what  he  did  he  usually  did  well. 

Jack  thought  none  too  rapidly,  but  he  reasoned  logically  and  in  all  decisions 
he  seemed  conscious  of  the  rights  of  others.  Day  dreaming  was  one  of  his  main 
faults ;  it  hindered  him  in  his  study  and  sometimes  made  him  appear  lazy.  Jack 
was  very  deliberate  in  everything  he  did,  and  somewhat  awkward  in  many  things 
he  attempted.  This  fact  did  not  add  to  his  self-confidence.  But  in  finishing  craft- 
work  and  the  few  things  he  did  excel  in  he  usually  took  the  leadership. 

Being  thrown  with  an  older  group  constantly  (and  such  was  his  wish)i  I  did 
not  get  to  observe  Jack  in  many  roles  of  leadership.  The  other  boys  who  were 
all  two  and  three  years  his  senior  took  most  of  the  responsibility.  However,  he 
was  independent  in  that  he  could  and  would  do  things  without  help.  He  wanted 
recognition  or  rather  approval  for  what  he  had  done,  and  would  often  come  and 
tell  me  of  what  he  had  been  doing  including  some  of  the  most  trivial  things. 
Rather  than  take  leadership,  he  could  often  be  led  too  easily  by  others.  I  know 
of  no  bad  habits  the  boy  had  other  than  those  mentioned — day  dreaming  and  being 
careless  of  his  appearance. 

Jack  did  not  express  himself  well  either  orally  or  in  writing  and  I  had  occa- 
sion to  note  that  he  read  poorly.  Here  is  the  place  for  some  real  development. 
He  needs  quite  a  bit  of  physical  development  also;  he  has  a  splendid  height  and 
body- frame  for  a  thirteen-year-old  boy,  but  appears  weak.  I  did  my  best  to 
get  him  to  feel  some  pride  in  his  body  and  determination  to  develop  it  fully. 
Learning  that  he  lost  both  his  parents  from  tuberculosis  it  is  all  the  more  im- 
portant that  he  have  good  health. 

He  was  always  clean  in  speech.     His  ambition  is  to  enter  the  field  of  aviation." 

There  may  be  objection  to  collecting  data  through  the  use  of  so  many 
instruments  lest  it  make  the  boys  hypersensitive  and  introspective.  This 
was  frankly  experimental ;  eflfort  was  made  to  determine  which  devices 
were  useful  for  furnishing  the  clues  from  which  to  trace  the  points 
of  pressure,  tension,  or  need.  While  it  would  not  seem  advisable  to 
use  so  many  of  a  similar  ty])e  as  are  to  be  found  in  some  of  the  folders, 
these  were  administered  over  a  two  year  period,  so  they  did  not  come 
very  close  together. 

With  thisi  data  at  his  fingertips  and  much  of  it  well  in  mind  could 
not  a  well-trained  director  or  personnel  man  make  real  progress  in  aiding 
adjustment  through  a  guidance  program?  It  would  seem  possible  for 
a  well  prepared  director  to  make  his  annual  visits  to  campers'  homes 
mean   far  more.      Instead  of   being  a  means  of   keeping  contact   and 

"Document  No.  29. 


A /I  Experiment  in  Cooperative  Living  113 

recruiting  merely,  might  visitation  liecomc  a  part  of  a  year  round  ])er- 
sonal  counseling  and  guidance  service  ? 

Such  an  opportunity  demands  a  thoroughly  and  hroadly  trained  man 
for  camp  directing.  As  one  gets  a  vision  of  this  wider  service  in  the 
field  of  personality  growth  he  may  well  agree  with  Dr.  h'lwell  that 
"Camp  directing  has  hecome  one  of  the  most  difficult  and  complicated 
vocations,  and  there  are  unquestionahly  many  persons  operating  camps 
today  for  commercial  purposes  primarily,  who  are  quite  unfitted,  either 
by  training  or  temperament  to  do  it."''''  Many  other  directors  actuated 
by  the  more  altruistic  motives  are  still  incapable  either  of  the  vision 
or  the  skills  which  the  opportunities  of  modern  organized  camping  de- 
mand. Can  a  camp  be  progressive  without  some  system  for  cumulative 
records  and  a  well  planned  program  for  individual  counseling  and  guid- 
ance for  its  campers? 

Portraits 

Besides  the  various  questionnaires  and  the  pencil  and  paper  tests 
that  have  been  mentioned  each  boy's  folder  carried  at  least  two  brief 
sketches  written  by  the  cabin  counselor ;  one  of  the  first  impressions 
and  another  toward  the  close  of  camp  giving  the  counselor's  later  judg- 
ments of  the  boy's  characteristics.  The  plan  was  to  get  so  much  data 
on  the  daily  life  of  each  boy  into  the'  folder  that  it  would  almost  pre- 
sent "A  moving-talking  picture  of  the  boy,"  from  which  it  would  be 
possible  to  study  personality  change  quite  definitely.  This  plan  was 
only  partially  successful.  Counselors  lacked  experience  in  the  techniques 
necessary  for  such  observation  and  recording;  they  did  not  have  time 
to  record  and  study  the  data  they  could  observe ;  and  the  Camp  Direc- 
tor's load  was  too  heavy  for  him  to  follow  through,  study,  plan,  and 
guide  the  process. 

In  an  effort  to  see  to  what  extent  personality  was  portrayed  in  the 
data  of  the  record  folders  these  were  turned  over  to  a  graduate  student 
to  study  and  then  to  describe  the  boys  as  he  would  expect  them  to  act. 
This  student,  somewhat  familiar  with  the  camp  routine,  and  with  its 
equipment  and  counselor  stafT,  did  not  know  the  boys  concerned.  He 
selected  six  boys  from  the  list  and  taking  these  as  a  group  he  studied 
their  cumulative  records  and  described  their  reactions  in  certain  camp 
situations.  While  some  details  did  not  exactly  match,  the  Director  and 
the  counselors  who  knew  the  boys,  expressed  their  surprise  that  he  had 
been  able  to  portray  the  boys  so  tnie  to  life.  Below  is  a  short  section 
of  his  article  on  "portraits"^^ : 

EARLY  MORNING 

Paul  frowned  and  pulled  the  blanket  up  over  his  ear  so  that  the  song  of  the 
cardinal  nearbv  sounded  farther  away.  He  wished  the  bird  had  not  waked  him 
up,  even  if  he  did  feel  happy,  as  Mr.  Fitzgerald  had  remarked  only  the  day  before 

"Elwell,  A.  F. ;  The  Summer  Camp:  A  New  Factor  in  Education;  Doctor's  Dis- 
sertation, Cambridge;   Harvard   University,    1925. 
"Document  No.   30. 


114  Organized  Cam-ping  and  Progressive  Education 

on  the  seeming  joy  of  life  of  this^  particular  bird.  Paul  blamed  his  waking  early 
on  the  bird ;  its  song  was  the  first  sound  his  ears  caught.  And  he  wanted  to  sleep 
just  as  much  as  he  could,  for  the  doctor  had  said  he  needed  more  sleep.  He  had 
heard  that  much  back  at  Nashville  in  a  conversation  between  his  mother  and  the 
doctor.  The  fact  that  he  woke  about  five-thirty  every  morning  to  toss  and  roll 
until  seven,  by  no  means  excused  Mr.  Cardinal. 

A  cot  creaked  slightly  on  the  other  side  of  the  cabin  a  few  moments  later, 
as  George  quietly  sat  up  to  dress.  He,  too,  always  woke  early,  but  not  to  toss 
and  roll.  He  always  had  a  book  or  magazine  by  the  side  of  his  bed.  This  morn- 
ing it  happened  to  be  the  magazine,  "Boy  Life,"  which  had  an  article  on  radio 
which  was  very  interesting.  George  had  started  it  just  before  supper  the  after- 
noon before  and  he  wanted  to  finish  it.  Maybe  it  would  tell  him  how  to  improve 
his  plan  for  making  a  radio  when  he  went  back  home.  Very  quietly,  in  order 
not  to  disturb  the  others,  whose  deep  breathing  testified  to  sound  slumber,  George 
drew  himself  up  to  the  edge  of  the  half-wall  of  the  cabin,  established  himself 
so  the  light  of  the  rising  sun  fell  on  his  back  yet  not  on  his  magazine,  leaned 
back  against  the  corner  post  and  began  to  read,  while  Paul,  who  at  most  other 
times  might  be  found  reading,  closed  his  eyes  in  a  vain  effort  to  get  back  to 
sleep. 

A  little  more  than  a  half-hour  later  the  whole  cabin  began  to  come  to  life. 
Almost  simultaneously  four  or  five  fellows  woke,'  stretched,  and  started  dressing, 
calling  sleepy  greetings  and  bantering  each  other  about  anything  they  happened 
to  think  of.  Bart,  the  Junior  counselor,  was  the  first  to  make  his  bed  and  put 
his  belongings  in  order.  Bill  a  moment  behind  him,  went  to  the  corner  where  the 
broom  stood,  as  soon  as  he  had  finished  with  his  own  belongings.  He  gave  Joe's 
foot  a  punch  as  he  went  by. 

"Hey,  wake  up,"  he  called.    "We  hafta  clean  up  before  breakfast." 

Joe  bounced  out  at  once.  He  had  only  a  little  to  straighten,  aside  from  his 
bed,  for  practically  everything  else  was  in  order  already. 

"Hey,  Tuffy,  want  me  to  help  you?"  he  inquired  of  a  fat  boy  on  the  bunk 
next  to  his,  who  was  a  bit  later  in  rising  and  much  slower  in  dressing  than  Joe 

"Sure  Mike!"  Tufi^y  yav\nicd  back,  and  they  jumped  into  action  to  finish  before 
Bill  got  that  far  with  the  broom. 

Meanwhile,  George,  finishing  the  article  he  was  reading,  quietly  slid  down  and 
arranged  his  corner,  taking  the  other  broom  which  belonged  to  the  cabin  and 
helped  Bill.  Paul  was  having  trouble  with  his  bed.  It  was  rarely  so  neat  as 
most  of  the  others.  Paul  was  a  tenderfoot  in  more  ways  than  one,  and  he  was 
a  little  fellow,  anyway. 

"Come  on,  there,  Gilly,  we'll  get  there  on  time,"  a  lazy  voice  behind  made  Paul 
turn.     It  was  Willie,  taking  his  own  sweet  time. 

"Smitty,  how  'bout  a  littlq  help?"  Willie  addressed  a  small  boy  who  had  al- 
ready finished  his  own  bed.  The  little  fellow  lent  a  willing  hand,  so  that  Willie 
finished  before  Paul,  athough  he  had  started  later.  The  counselor  looked  at 
Willie  and  wondered  if  he  even  had  to  make  beds  at  home.  One  of  his  parents' 
hopes  for  him  at  camp  was  that  he  would  learn  to  take  his  part  of  the  work 
at  home  in  better  spirit.  Probably  he  palmed  work  off  on  his  brothers  and  sifters 
at  home  in  precisely  the  way  he  had  put  it  on  Smitty  this  morning,  mused  Charlie, 
the  counselor. 

Breakfast  call  sounded,  and  the  bunch  chased  up  to  the  hall.  Bart,  walking 
along  behind  with  Charlie,  remarked  that  the  space  back  of  the  cabin  would  look 
better  cleared. 

"Sure  would,"  agreed  Charlie.     "We'll  start  today  if  the  boys  want  to  do  it." 

As  they  went  up  the  steps  to  the  dining  hall,  after  sousing  face  and  hands 
into  cold  water  down  below,  little  Paul  came  dashing  in.  He  had  been  late  and 
hurried,  .so  that  he  leftl  some  of  his  belongings  near  the  foot  of  his  bed.  where 
someone  might  stumble  on  them.  And  he  neglected  the  customary  before-breakfast 
ablutions,  which  really  is  much  less  of  a  crime  than  many  people  think. 


An  Exferiment  in  Cooperative  Living  \  \  5 

Space  does  not  permit  us  to  complete  the  pictures  here  by  following 
these  boys  through  other  camp  situations,  such  as  vespers,  crafts.  "Flag- 
raising,"  volley  ball,  baseball,  golf,  archery,  hiking,  tennis  and  water 
sports.  Enough  has  been  given  to  indicate  the  nature  of  the  experiment. 
The  cumulative  record  folders  did  carry  personality  portraits. 

The  philosophy  growing  out  of  the  1930-1931  experiment  in  coop- 
erative living  in  camp  was  set  forth  in  the  1932  camp  booklet : 

Freedom,  spontaneity,  happiness,  teamwork,  characterizes  the  boy  world  during 
camp.  Every  activity  is  entered  into  because  of  the  interest  and  desire  of  the 
participant  to  engage  in  what  he  is  doing,  and  every  camper  is  coached  in  how 
to  do  it  right  by  trained  supervision  always  on  duty. 

Camp  Blue  Ridge  specializes  first  in  helping  each  boy  attain  physical  health. 
The  health  director  through  physical  and  medical  examination,  daily  health  checks, 
and  counsel  as  to  the  health  program  of  each  boy,  sees  to  it  that  every  camper 
is  "free  to  gain"  physical  health. 

In  the  second  place,  Camp  Blue  Ridge  is  making  possible  an  experience  in 
cooperative  and  creative  social  living  for  each  boy  in  camp.  To  live  at  Camp 
Blue  Ridge  is  to  acquire  a  liberal  education  in  the  fine  art  of  living  with  others, 
which  is  probably  the  most  important  thing  that  the  members  of  the  human  family 
must  learn. 

No  activities  are  compulsory,  but  all  are  made  as  interesting  as  possible,  and 
the  very  best  instruction  is  provided.  What  a  boy  chooses  to  do  or  engage  in, 
however,  is  not  determined  arbitrarily,  but  cooperatively  by  the  counselor  and 
camper  working  out  their  program  together.  .  .  .  Sharing  with  comradely  friends, 
old  and  young,  the  happy  experiences  of  each  day  gives  zest  to  camp  life. 

.  .  .  Regularity,  freedom  of  choice  or  individual  purpose  and  plans,  and  con- 
sideration of  the  needs  of  the  entire  camp  are  all  provided  for  in  the  process, 
so  that  every  experience  in  camp  may  help  each  camper  to  have  practice,  in  pur- 
posing, planning,  executing,  and  judging  his  daily  living  in  relation  to  all  others 
concerned. 

The  goal  desired  is  that  each  person  in  camp  may  have  a  creative  experience — 
that  is,  increase  in  outlook  and  insight,  attitudes  and  appreciation,  and  in  means 
of  controlling  and  handling  each  situation  as  it  occurs  in  the  daily  round  of 
living. 

Creat'we  Living:  Every  camper  has  an  experience  in  creative  living  at  cymp 
in  a  variety  of  ways.  First  of  all  he  goes  through  an  adjustment  process  in 
relation  to  the  other  boys  in  the  cabin  group.  We  learn  to  live  together  just 
as  we  learn  to  swim  by  swimming.  The  everyday  ongoing  experiences  of  living 
is  our  curriculum  and  we  give  and  take  in  the  spirit  of  the  "other  fellow  first." 

In  the  second  place,  and  in  addition  to  the  group  process,  every  camper  has 
an  opportunity  to  better  understand  himself  as  an  individual  and  his  possibilities. 
Vocational  guidance,  personal  counseling,  social  adjustment,  are  part  of  the  per- 
sonality development  program  of  the  camp. 

There  are  three  things  learned  in  every  camp  activity :  first,  how  to  engage 
in  the  activity — the  skill  of  the  good  worker;  second,  something  about  the  activity 
itself,  its  history  and  composition ;  and  third,  an  attitude  toward  the  objects  and 
persons  with  whom  one  is  associated.  The  way  the  activity  is  conducted  deter- 
mines whether  these  learnings  are  constructive  or  destructive." 

A  Topical  Evaluation 

The  three  periods  of  camping  have  been  definitely  described  already. 
Below  under  a  series  of  topical  headings  each  period  is  evaluated  : 

"Document  No.  31. 


116  Organized  Catrvping  and  Progressive  Educatimi 

Government 


I 

This  was  a  period  wherein  the  Camp  Director  was  a  benevolent 
despot,  making  and  enforcing  the  rules  of  the  camp  and  holding  au- 
thority and  responsibility  for  whatever  went  on  in  the  camp.  The  coun- 
selors were  his  assistants,  and  were  expected  to  see  that  the  boys  had  a 
good  time,  according  to  the  limitations  and  the  rules  laid  down  for  thcin. 

II 

The  idea  of  government  was  that  camp  is  a  democratic  community 
ready  to  organize  and  control  its  own  actions  through  bringing  every- 
thing to  discussion  and  vote,  the  decision  of  the  majority  being  fol- 
lowed. While  the  Camp  Director  and  counselors  had  one  vote  each, 
just  as  any  camper,  they  did  wield  a  large  influence  and  very  rarely  vras 
a  decision  made  that  they  did  not  favor.  The  forms  and  machinery  of 
government  were  emphasized. 

Ill 

Here  the  plan  was  that  of  a  group  living  together  cooperatively,  the 
directors  and  counselors  striving  to  be  "Foremost  Companions."  Forms 
of  government  and  control  were  made  as  natural  and  inconspicuous  as 
possible.  Opportunity  for  free  participation  in  the  camp  government 
was  afiforded.     The  naturalness  of  it  was  its  best  reason  for  success. 

Grouping 


Groups  were  formed  arbitrarily  by  the  camp  director  as  he  saw  fit. 
No  attempt  was  made  at  any  kind  of  system,  except  that  the  camp 
director  seemed  to  have  a  rule  to  separate  brothers  or  close  chums  into 
separate  cabin  groups.  Some  cliques  from  the  same  town  or  school, 
however,  were  allowed  to  choose  their  places  and  to  remain  in  cabins 
together. 

II 

Cabin  groups  were  formed  like  dividing  the  camp  into  teams  for 
some  athletic  league;  the  choosers  were  first  elected  and  they  in  turn 
chose  the  members  for  their  cabin  grou])s.  This  was  considered  a  fair 
and  democratic  basis  for  later  competitions.  It  was  al)out  as  arbitrary 
as  the  "autocratic"  so  far  as  an  individual  boy's  wishes  were  concerned, 
but  he  grumbled  less  about  it  because  to  do  so  would  mark  him  as  a 
"poor  sport."     The  age  range  in  each  cabin  group  was  usually  wide. 

Ill 

Cabin  groups  were  formed  as  much  as  possible  in  accord  with  the 
wishes  of  the  individual  campers  and  not  for  any  kind  of  competition. 
An  age  group  basis  was  encouraged  as  being  the  way  boys  would  most 


An  Experiment  in  Cooperative  Living  1 1  7 

naturally  associate  together.     Permission  to  change  during  canij)  was 
granted  by  the  Camp  Council. 

Program  Policy 

I 
The  program  was  activity-centered.  Adults  determined  it  in  ad- 
vance by  selecting  the  activities  they  considered  good  for  boys.  This 
selection  was  largely  based  upon  the  idea  of  bringing  them  e.xperienccs 
which  would  be  valuable  to  them  in  adult  life.  Some  of  these  activities 
had  a  natural  appeal  to  the  boys  while  others  were  done  from  some  kind 
of  compulsion. 

II 

The  program  was  interest-centered  and  much  choice  of  activity  was 
left  to  the  campers;  certain  interest  groups,  however,  were  provided, 
and  were  often  carried  on  in  a  fairly  formal  manner.  It  was  somewhat 
like  giving  a  pupil  in  school  a  choice  of  which  formal  class  he  would 
join,  but  once  in,  he  was  obliged  to  follow  the  directions'  of  the  course 
and  the  instructor.  Some  interest  group  leaders  really  provided  for 
individual  interests.  Group-experience  and  group  competition  was  em- 
phasized— socialization  became  an  important  word. 

Ill 
The  program  was  not  merely  interest-centered  but  "person-in-situa- 
tion"  centered ;  it  grew  out  of  the  everyday  needs  of  the  persons  asso- 
ciated and  from  the  stimuli  presented  by  living  together  in  the  camp 
environment.  The  emphasis  was  upon  creative  experience  for  each 
individual  as  well  as  for  the  group,  and  happy  personal  adjustment  was 
necessarily  very  important  since  without  it  there  could  be  little  creative 
experience.  Hence  counseling  and  guidance  for  each  camper  according 
to  his  personality  needs  became  a  demand  of  the  program  policy. 

Function  of  Counselor 


The  adult's  part!  in  the  camp  was  to  explain  the  program  and  keep 
the  boys  going  ahead  on  it ;  and  to  live  with  the  boys,  control  and  super- 
vise their  conduct  and  administer  activities.  Successful  counselors 
achieved  most  by  their  example  and  friendship.  What  they  were  as 
they  lived  with  their  boys  was  the  thing  which  meant  most  in  the  growth 
of  the  boys.  This  give  and  take  could  not  be  formalized  in  the  camp 
environment.  When  campers  were  asked  to  check  what  meant  most  to 
them  in  camp,  "Friendship  with  the  Counselors"  received  the  highest 
vote. 

II 

Counselors  were  expected  to  see  that  boys  understood  their  privileges 
and  responsibilities  for  taking  part  in  forming  the  program  and  in  the 
government  and  administration  of  the  camp  life;  they  were  to  develop 


118  Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

the  qualities  of  good  citizenship  by  the  way  in  which  their  groups 
were  conducted.  Their  place  for  friendly  counseling  was  greatly  in- 
creased, as  the  boys  were  allowed  more  freedom  of  choice,  and  so 
looked  to  their  counselors  for  more  guidance.  They  were  primarily 
coaches  in  citizenship. 

Ill 
A  counselor  needed  to  so  understand  each  boy  in  his  group  as  he 
lived  with  them  that  he  could  aid  in  bringing  about  situations  favorable 
to  best  personality  growth  and  most  creative  experience  for  each.  He 
not  only  participated  in  the  activities  of  camp,  but  in  such  a  way  that 
he  could  see  what  they  meant  to  each  boy  in  his  group  and  by^  coun- 
seling and  guidance  could  be  able  to  make  them  most  meaningful.  His 
role  became  much  more  positive.  He  must  live  abundantly,  share  this 
living  with  the  boys,  and  work  to  control  situations  for  their  develop- 
ment— "Be  a  Foremost  Companion." 

Attitude  Toward  the  Boy 

I 

While  it  was  not  stated  thus,  a  boy  was  looked  upon  very  much  as  if 
divided  into  compartments  such  as  Physical,  Intellectual,  Social,  Re- 
ligious, each  of  which  was  to  be  properly  filled  or  else  he  would  have  a 
defective  personality.  He  was  to  be  instructed  by  adults  as  to  "what" 
to  think,  believe,  or  do.  He  was  looked  upon  as  preparing  to  live  in  a 
static  world  where  truths  were  fixed  and  he  must  accept  it  as  he  found 
it.     Emphasis  was  on  "what"  he  learned,  "what"  he  did. 

II 

A  boy  learns  what  he  practices  with  satisfaction,  so  it  is  necessary 
to  provide  for  him  to  practice  and  experience  the  things  we  want  him 
to  learn.  It  was  still  assumed  that  adults  knew  best  what  he  ought  to 
learn,  but  they  must  bring  him  to  experience  it  with  some  degree  of 
satisfaction  or  they  could  not  succeed.  The  boy  at  least  became  a  more 
active  agent  in  his  education  and  the  compartmented  scheme  was  cast 
aside,  he  was  still  to  be  "trained  up  in  the  way  he  should  go." 

Ill 
The  boy  is  a  person  capable  of  creative  thinking  and  of  adjustment 
to  life  situations.  He  is  to  be  trusted  as  a  person;  in  fact  the  whole 
emphasis  was  on  the  personality  of  the  camper  or  the  person  whose 
conduct  was  concerned  in  any  situation  or  activity.  The  goal  was  not 
"what  to  think,"  but  "how  to  think." 

Awards  and  Honors 

I 
Honors  and  awards    (emblems)   on  a  point-system  basis  were  the 
means  of  recognition  for  carrying  out  certain  activities — in  fact  most 
of  those  in  camp  had  something  to  do  with  the  honor  emblem  system. 


An  Experiment  in  Cooperative  Living  1 19 

It  was  all  prescribed  in  advance  and  a  boy  could  look  over  tbe  printed 
program  and  decide  whether  he  would  try  for  a  certain  type  of  emblem 
or  not.  He  was  expected  to  win  one  if  he  was  to  be  considered  a  good 
camper.  Whether  he  liked  the  activity  or  not,  he  might  go  through 
with  it  in  some  fashion  in  order  to  be  awarded  the  emblem  and  so  win 
the  needed  recognition  and  social  approval. 

This  plan  of  awards  worked  very  nearly  on  the  same  principle  as  the 
system  of  grades  in  schools ;  each  person  was  rated  according  to  the 
tests  he  passed,  his  grades  were  recorded  and  his  standing  was  an- 
nounced accordingly.  There  was  no  provision  made  for  individual 
differences ;  superiority  and  inferiority  feelings  were  built  up  according 
to  success  or  failure  with  the  tests.  There  was  rarely  a  proper  recog- 
nition for  effort. 

II 

Point  systems  were  discontinued  and  all  artificial  bases  for  recogni- 
tion, honors  and  emblems  were  avoided.  No  awards  were  given.  Al- 
though emblems  were  continued,  their  meaning  was  changed,  so  that 
they  were  merely  insignia  given  on  enrollment.  This  plan  avoided 
many  of  the  abuses  of  the  point  system,  left  the  campers  free  to  choose 
what  they  liked  to  do ;  it  needed  more  careful  watching  by  counselors 
and  directors  to  see  that  actual  recognition  was  given  where  and  when 
it  was  really  due.  It  was  no  longer  mechanical,  but  personal  and  for 
that  very  reason  it  was  often  neglected.  Counselors  and  directors  who 
were  more  sensitive  to  persons  and  personality  needs  were  required. 

Ill 
Here  no  extensive  honors  or  awards  were  practiced — certainly  no 
formalized  ones.  Care  was  taken  to  see  that  each  individual  received 
proper  recognition  and  encouragement  for  the  effort  he  made  as  well 
as  for  the  achievement.  This  plan  put  the  burden  of  watchfulness 
and  thoughtfulness  on  the  counselors  and  directors  rather  than  on  some 
device,  and  also  made  these  recognitions  a  real  part  of  the  counseling 
and  guidance  program  for  personality  adjustment.  It  was  no  longer  a 
mechanical  and  mass  proposition  disinterestedly  dealing  with  the  indi- 
vidual, but  a  means  for  expression  of  personal  worth  in  a  personal  way. 
Activity  was  pursued  purely  from  personal  interest,  or  the  desire  to 
please  one's  friends — from  the  camper's  own  purpose. 

Educational  Philosophy 

I 
The  philosophy  of  this  period  was  intellectualistic-academic ;  it  was 
assumed  that  there  are  things  which  are  good  for  boys  to  learn  and 
that  the  camp  authorities  know  what  these  are  and  have  made  a  selection 
of  them  in  advance.  Camp  is  considered  a  good  place  to  get  some  of 
these  across  to  the  boys.  Recreation  and  fun  is  one  thing  and  educa- 
tion is  another,  and  camp  life  must  keep  a  balance  between  the  two  so 
that  the  boy  will  get  enough  of  the  former  to  make  him  feel  good  and 


120  Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

enjoy  it,  without  wasting  so  much  of  his  time  on  it  as  to  fail  to  advance 
as  much  as  he  ought  on  the  latter.  Education  is  mostly  acquiring 
knowledge  from  study  of  books  and  is  selected  (on  the  basis  of  future 
adult  needs)  from  a  great  storehouse  of  knowledge  which  has  already 
been  filled  by  scholars  of  the  past. 

II 
The  educational  philosophy  of  this  period  was  not  very  clearly  de- 
fined— transitional.  There  remained  some  feeling  that  there  was 
something  to  be  gotten  over  to  boys  from  the  adult's  point  of  view, 
but  that  it  could  be  done  much  more  successfully  by  arousing  the  boys' 
interests  and  guiding  them  than  by  more  formal  procedures.  Method 
changed  more  than  philosophy.  EfTort  was  made  to  get  boys  to  "choose 
what  they  do."    Closer  connection  between  program  and  life  was  sought. 

Ill 
The  educational  philosophy  was  now  approaching  the  voluntaristic ; 
that  society  develops  persons  by  all  the  factors  that  enter  into  their  life- 
situations,  and  thinking  takes  place  where  life  presents  crises  to  be  met 
and  problems  to  be  solved.  The  important  thing  was  not  subject 
matter  to  be  gotten  across  to  boys,  but  guiding  them  in  finding  ways  to 
meet  the  crises  in  their  lives  as  they  occurred.  They  were  to  live  crea- 
tively by  finding  new  ways  to  solve  their  problems.  Not  what  is  com- 
mitted to  memory,  but  what  is  experienced  enters  into  the  education  of 
the  person.  He  is  not  educated  by  compartments  of  personality  but 
through  his  responses  to  total  situations.  He  is  most  vitally  aflfected 
through  the  roles  he  is  expected  to  play  in  the  different  groups  that 
make  up  his  world. 


Ill 

THE  MODERN  CAMPING  MOVEMENT 


CHAPTER  VII 

EDUCATIONAL  CHANGES  IN   MODERN  CAMPS 

The  experimentation  and  change  which  took  place  in  the  camp  at 
Blue  Ridge  was  but  a  part  and  type  of  what  went  on  in  many  places 
in  the  camping  movement  during  this  same  decade.  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Camp 
Directors  after  using  the  Woodcraft  and  Boy  Scout  programs  had  de- 
veloped programs  for  boys  quite  as  standardized  and  academic  as 
either  of  the  others,  together  with  an  elaborate  system  of  emblem 
awards.  Private  camps  were  not  as  uniformly  standardized  in  pro- 
gram, but  some  of  them  were  even  more  extreme  in  their  academic 
programs  and  artificial  stimulation  through  awards  than  the  organiza- 
tion camps. 

Association  Boys  workers  had  played  a  large  part  in  standardizing 
programs  for  boys  in  camps ;  they  were  among  the  first  to  find  the  de- 
fects and  to  change  the  direction  of  the  movement.  The  third  assembly 
of  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Workers  with  Boys  of  North  America  at  Estes  Park 
in  1925,  invited  leading  educators,  psychologists  and  philosophers.  Boys 
workers  came  back  from  this  assembly  talking  about  the  ideas  of 
Kilpatrick,  Colilngs,  Dewey  and  Elliott,  and  determined  to  experiment 
and  find  out  if  these  men  were  right.  Camps  ofi^ered  the  best'  place  to 
try  out  these  ideas  about  folk)wing  the  boy's  own  interests  in  program 
building,  and  in  giving  the  boys  a  chance  to  share  in  camp  management 
in  a  democratic  fashion. 

Many  of  these  ideas  were  not  clearly  grasped  and  some  of  the  ex- 
periments were  slow  and  blundering.  Frequently,  the  counselors  and 
directors  who  undertook  to  make  changes  from  the  academic  program, 
were  almost  as  confused  as  the  boys  were.  Here's  a  bit  of  description 
of  one  camp's  efforts  to  "break  into  'democracy',''  taken  from  a  coun- 
selor's letter : 

Adult  leaders  decided  to  attempt  to  install  in  the  place  of  the  traditional  system 
of  cabin  competition  for  points  and  awards  with  a  fixed  program,  a  new  program 
based  on  interest  of  the  campers  and  to  advance  each  step  as  the  campers  in  their 
cabins  discussed  and  suggested  it. 

The  campers  arrived  late  on  Friday,  June  21,  just  in  time  for  a  meal  and  bed. 
On  Saturday  no  semblance  of  a  program  was  attempted,  meals  even  being  served 
somewhat  irregularly.  The  counselors  met  and  the  aims  of  the  men  in  charge 
were  presented  to  them  so  that  they  might  indirectly  stimulate  the  discussions 
necessary  to  formulate  a  program. 

The  adults  feeling  that  the  four  primary  rules  of  any  camp  (no  firearms,  no 
tobacco,  no  leaving  camp  grounds,  no  swimming  except  under  supervision)  could 
not  be  neglected  or  left  until  the  need  for  them  arose  in  an  imperative  form 
made  it  a  point  to  raise  a  discussion  at  the  noon  meal  on  Saturday.  The  Camp 
Director  made  a  talk  to  the!  campers  in  which  he  brought  up  the  question  as  to 
which  way  a  camp  should  be  conducted  and  why  some  rules  and  regulations  were 
necessary.  He  went  on  to  bring  out  the  necessities  for  these  rules,  saying  that 
the  campers  were  being  faced  with  the  questions  as  to  whether  they  would  adopt 
the  rules  or  not.  Numerous  illustrations  were  used  in  order  to  make  the  need 
clear.     Then  the  campers   were  allowed   to  make  comments  and   to  discuss   the 

123 


124  Organized  Catnfing  arid  Progressive  Education 

proposition.  At  the  end  of  this  the  campers  were  all  ready  to  adopt  these  rules 
and  to  help  enforce  them. 

The  adults  had  been  watching  anxiously  for  some  sign  to  guide  them  in  finding 
an  opening  to  present  the  "interest  groups"  idea.  The  only  sign  exhibited  was 
one  of  extreme  restlessness.  The  situation  was  further  complicated  because  of 
four  rather  vital  factors :  the  small  size  of  the  group,  the  great  variety  of  ages, 
the  previous  experiences  of  the  boys  in  camp,  and  the  inexperience  of  most  of  the 
counselors — all  these  tended  to  this  spirit  of  restlessness  and  tension. 

As  a  result  it  was  deemed  wise  to  make  a  compromise  which  would  be  flexible 
enough  to  switch  in  either  direction  as  the  situation  seemed  to  demand.  The 
adult  leaders  outlined  a  program  which  gave  time  and  place  for  everything  as  the 
former  "oiled  machinery"  type  used  to  do  except  that  there  is  no  point  system 
or  system  of  awards  either  to  individuals  or  to  cabins.  Moreover  there  is  al- 
lowed on  this  program  three  hours  a  day  for  interest  groups.  The  counselors 
and  directors  met  and  listed  everything  which  they  felt  they  were  competent  of 
giving  instruction  in  and  the  boys  chose  the  things  which  they  most  wished  to 
take  up.  As  the  process  goes  on  and  the  boys  are  better  able  to  assimilate  the 
idea  more  elacticity  will  be  injected  into  the  program  so  that  they  may  better 
pursue  their  interest.^ 

Despite  the  blunders  and  mistakes  Camp  Directors  who  were  out  of 
the  academic  rut  continued  to  study  their  work  critically,  with  a  new 
point  of  view  and  prog-ress  was  made.  Through  the  columns  of  their 
professional  journals  and  magazines,  came  sharings  of  experience  and 
the  ideas  spread  rapidly  throughout  Association  circles.  There  came 
to  be  two  alignments  among  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Boys  Workers,  those 
who  believed  the  new  ideas  would  work  and  those  conservatives  who 
were  for  holding  on  to  the  old  standardized  procedures  and  program 
materials.  Gradtially  the  conservatives  lost  out  and  the  camp  move- 
ment was  headed  for  "Changes." 

Forms  of  Democracy  Not  Enough 

By  1928  some  of  the  camp  directors  had  made  considerable  advance 
with  the  experimentation  and  study  of  the  so-called  democratic  proc- 
esses in  camping.  That  a  large  number  of  problems  had  been  located 
and  wrestled  with  is  evident  in  the  report  of  the  director  of  a  camp 
conducted  by  one  of  the  metropolitan  Y.  M.  C.  A.'s.  The  finest  point 
made  in  the  report  is  in  the  conclusion  that  democracy  in  a  camp  is 
more  a  matter  of  setting  up  processes  by  which  each  camper  may  partici- 
pate in  the  things  that  make  up  the  experiences  and  issues  of  life,  than 
by  over-organization  and  machinery. 

In  using  the  Democratic  approach,  there  are  two  procedures,  in  general :  One 
is  to  transfer  authority  from  the  adult  leaders  to  a  group,  or  to  groups  of  boys; 
the  other  is  to  leave  the  question  of  authority  alone,  but  to  set  up  processes  by 
which  the  thinking  of  every  boy  in  camp  can  be  mobilized  in  program  building, 
discipline  matters,  and  the  facing  of  all  the  other  issues  that  camp  life  raises. 
The  one  emphasizes  thinking;  the  other  emphasizes  machinery.  The  mechanical 
side  of  democracy  is  of  course  necessary.  It  is  always  a  problem  to  manage 
it  in  such  a  way  as  to  escape  the  criticism  that  it  is  merely  a  device.  Our  expe- 
rience at  camp  with  a  rather  complicated  machine  did  not  prove  satisfying  either 
to  the  boys  or  to  the  leaders,  and  we  came  soon  to  feel  that  it  needed  simplifica- 


'Documt-nt  No.   32. 


Educational  Chafiges  in  Modern  Camps  125 

tion  and  supplementing.  Probably  among  the  most  worthwhile  things  wc  did 
were  several  experiments  in  the  direction  of  directed  consideration  by  every  bo\ 
of  several  important  problems,  and  then  the  integration  of  the  thinking  of  all 
into  a  line  of  action,  which  by  common  consent,  quite  apart  from  any  legislation, 
became  the  camp  standard. 

To  illustrate :  The  question  of  cabin  inspection  arose.  Who  should  set  the 
requirements?  Who  should  enforce  them?  The  director  miglit  have  made  the 
decision  and  enforced  it.  Or  the  senior  leaders  might  have  done  it.  Or  the  camp 
council  might  have  taken  action.  We  followed  none  of  these  courses.  Instead, 
a  carefully  prepared  discussion  outline  was  given  each  senior  leader,  on  the  basis 
of  which  he  talked  the  matter  over  with  his  boys  for  an  hour.  Then  the  entire 
camp  came  together  and  the  program  Director  called  for  reports.  There  were 
many  suggestions,  and  some  vigorous  conflicts.  In  the  end  six  cabins  wished 
"overhead  inspection,"  eight  cabins  wanted  "self-inspection." 

ThQ  nice  point  arose:  In  a  democracy  does  not  the  majority  rule?  Should 
not  the  six  cabins  be  compelled  to  try  self -inspection?  The  rights  of  the  minor- 
ities were  considered  and  at  last  it  was  agreed  that  eight  cabins  should  have  the 
sort  of  housekeeping  they  wanted  and  get  it  as  they  could.  The  remaining  six 
were  to  work  out  a  plan  for  overhead  inspection.  It  actually  resulted,  however, 
that  self-inspection  prevailed  among  all  the  cabins,  and,  save  for  an  occasional 
check-up,  there  was  no  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  camp  management  to  regulate 
the  thing  at  all.  At  first  the  prevailing  housekeeping  was  sorry  enough.  Little 
by  little,  example,  the  discomfort  of  living  in  one's  own  dirt,  suggestions  from 
the  directors,  and  the  guidance  of  the  cabin  leaders,  led  to  a  change.  In  the 
end,  most  of  the  cabins  were  fairly  well  cared  for — and  at  no  time  had  there 
been  a  rule  of  any  sort. 

Another  illustration:  One  day  three  boys  went  swimming  out  of  bounds  and 
out  of  hours.  Of  course  in  the  matter  of  water  sports,  the  element  of  danger 
makes  rigid  rules  obligatory,  and  the  enforcement  of  them  cannot  be  avoided  by 
the  director  by  any  possibility.  Even  in  this  case,  however,  we  had  the  choice 
of  taking  action,  then  explaining  it,  or  of  first  getting  every  boy  in  the  camp  to 
see  the  problem  for  just  what  it  was,  considering  the  alternatives,  weighing"  them, 
and  actually  sharing  in  the  thinking  preliminary  to  the  decision.  The  latter  course 
w^as  followed ;  once  more  a  discussion  outline  gave  every  leader  a  chance  to  help 
his  group  of  seven  boys  think  the  matter  over.  Then  a  representative  from  each 
group  met  with  the  director.  The  director  made  his  decision  in  the  light  of  the 
thinking,  not  of  one  person,  but  of  150.  And  the  decision  was  accepted  by  every 
boy  as  his  own. 

This  procedure  was  used  several  times  and  could  be  extended,  I  believe,  to 
every  phase  of  camp  life.  It  minimizes  machinery,  and  stimulates  general  par- 
ticipation. It  need  not  do  away  with  the  camp  council,  but  I  would  strongly  rec- 
ommend that  the  camp  council  consist  of  one  boy  chosen  from  each  cabin  by 
vote  of  the  boys  in  the  cabin,  plus  one  or  two  senior  leaders,  including  the  director. 

I  would  urge  that  there  be  no  other  machinery  of  camp  government.  Let  the 
program,  and  all  matters  of  legislative  action  grow  out  of  concerted  thinking.'' 

This  discovery  that  real  democracy  emphasizes  shared  thinking  rather 
than  governmental  machinery  marked  the  beginning  of  the  transition  to 
the  cooperative  camp.  Those  who  had  accepted  the  democratic  ap- 
proach but  retained  their  critical  and  experimental  attitiide  v^rere  led  to 
the  cooperative  stage  of  camping  experience  in  a  short  time. 

The  author,  after  directing  Scy  Camp  in  1928,  directed  a  city 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  camp  in  1929  and  1930.  He  found  in  this  camp  an 
academic   program   divided   into   two-week   periods   with   an   elaborate 


'Document  No.   33. 


126  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

ribbon  award  system.  His  efforts  to  transplant  his  machinery  of  dem- 
ocratic government  developed  at  Scy  Camp  proved  futile.  This  forced 
him  to  find  other  means  of  making  the  democratic  process  effectu)al 
and  the  cooperative  plan  was  learned  from  necessity.  The  following 
paragraphs  from  the  Camp  Director's  report  describe  this  experience : 

That  the  camp  council  was  planning  things  to  suit  the  older  boys  without  due 
consideration  for  the  camp  as  a  whole  became  more  evident  each  day.  One  morn- 
ing the  president  called  the  council  for  a  special  meeting  at  which  it  was  pro- 
posed that  the  "baseball  players"  go  to  the  diamond  m  town  for  a  practice  that 
morning.  This  would  have  taken  out  of  camp  the  counselors  and  older  boy  project 
and  interest  group  leaders.  It  would  have  left  the  morning  swim  unsupervised 
with  no  activities  planned  for  the  younger  boys. 

Activities  like  baseball  had  their  own  scheduled  periods  in  the  afternoon.  The 
camp  director  urged  that  it  would  not  be  possible  to  make  such  sudden  changes 
in  the  adopted  schedule  and  ruled  that  the  counselors  could  not  leave  the  camp 
that  morning.  Some  members  of  the  council  had  planned  to  "railroad  their  motion" 
through  the  council  no  matter  what  was  said,  and  were  surprised  to  find  it  "vetoed". 
The  president  framed  a  letter  which  was  signed  by  about  six  of  the  members  of 
the  council,  stating  that  they  saw  no  reason  for  a  council  meeting  unless  the 
decision  or  vote  of  the  council  was  final.  The  president  never  called  another  meet- 
ing of  the  council.  Although  the  "Machinery  of  democracy"  appdared  to  have 
broken  down  it  only  placed  on  the  directors  the  responsibility  for  setting  up  pro- 
cesses that  would  give  each  boy  a  maximum  participation  in  the  planning  and  con- 
trolling of  the  afifairs  of  the  camp.  The  conferences  of  the  whole  camp  were 
continued,  discussion  groups  were  held,  and  committees  used  to  work  out  special 
projects  and  to  report  recommendations  to  the  camp  conference. 

No  awards  of  any  kind  were  given,  but  recognition  was  given  in  council  rmg 
and  through  personal  commendation  for  deserving  effort  and  achievement.  The 
camp  paper  was  quite  a  success  and  served  to  give  recognition  in  a  very  fine  Xi'ay. 
The  boys  noticed  the  difference  and  commented  that  they  had  had  a  better  time 
than  when  there  was  such  keen  competition  for  ribbons  each  week.' 

The  above  report  shows  the  mistake  made  by  a  large  number  of 
camp  directors  in  thinking  that  "democracy"  was  a  form  of  government, 
until  through  experience  it  was  learned  that  it  was  more  an  attitude  and 
could  only  be  carried  out  by  keeping  an  alert  mind  seeking  the  processes 
to  make  it  effective.  One  might  have  all  the  forms  and  still  have  none 
of  the  spirit  of  a  democratic  camp.  The  most  democratic  camp  would 
probably  be  found  where  least  was  said  about  it. 

Changes  In  Private  Camps 

Several  years  of  experimenting  and  study  among  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
Boys  Workers  caused  them  to  shift  from  the  use  of  fixed  program 
materials,  point  and  honor  award  systems.  Some  features  of  the  aca- 
demic camp  have  clung  tenaciously  among  private  camps.  Nor  have 
these  camps  experimented  so  much  with  methods  and  machinery  of 
self-government. 

The  author  had  the  pleasure  of  spending  the  summers  of  1932  and 
1933  in  a  private  boys'  camp  with  a  capacity  of  about  100  boys.  This 
camp  was  democratic  in  spirit  and  liberal  in  educational  philosophy,  but 
practice  tended  to  lag. 


'Document  No.  34. 


Educational  Changes  in  Modern  Camps  \Z7 

In  an  article  written  in  1932  to  give  thq  director  constructive  ciiti- 
cism,  some  of  the  author's  evaluation  of  camping  processes  at  the  end 
of  his  ten  years  experimentation  was  expressed  and  contrasted  with 
the  practice  of  the  camp.     Some  excerpts  are  given  below: 

The  next  topic  for  consideration  is  that  of  the  method  of  organization  of  the 
camp.  Here  again  there  are  two  outstanding  types  being  used.  One  of  these 
emphasizes  activities  and  the  camp  organization  is  such  as  to  facihtate  getting  all 
boys  as  individuals  into  as  many  of  the  activities  as  possible.  Each  boy  has  his 
own  individual  program  of  activities,  with  little  relationship  to  the  cabin  group; 
and  with  most  concern  and  loyalty  to  his  activity  group.  The  other  type  of  or- 
ganization is  where  the  emphasis  is  placed  upon  group  life  rather  than  individ- 
ualized activity  and  the  cabin  groups,  so  selected  as  to  be  as  congenial  and  similar 
in  interests  as  possible,  plan  and  enter  into  many  activities  and  projects  together. 
The  purpose  behind  this  idea  is  to  bring  out  as  much  social  adjustment  and  coop- 
erative practice  as  possible;  to  provide  for  the  development  of  initiative  and 
creativeness,  through  placing  much  responsibility  for  planning  and  executing  on 
the  group. 

Camp 's  organization  while  using  to  some  degree  both  of  these  plans, 

seems  to  lean  strongest  on  the  former ;  it  could  be  improved  and  camping  expe- 
rience could  hold  greater  creativity  and  satisfaction  for  the  boys  if  it  were 
organized  so  as  to  center  a  much  larger  part  of  its  program  around  the  cabin 
group.  Evening  devotions  and  cabin  suppers  once  a  week  are  now  the  main  fea- 
tures that  tend  to  hold  a  group  together.  While  they  are  both  fine,  more  common 
experience  is  needed  between  members  of  a  group  before  real  friendship  and 
cooperative  living  occurs.  In  a  country  where  rugged  individualism  seems  to 
have  created  such  difficult  situations  we  need  to  be  educating  far  more  for  coop- 
eration and  that  can  only  be  done  through  the  group  process,  with  careful  guidance 
of  the  individuals  in  the  groups.  This  does  not  mean  turning  out  individuals  all 
alike — just  the  opposite ;  it  does  aim  to  stimulate  each  individual  to  develop  his 
own  creative  powers  and  abilities  not  so  much  for  himself  but  for  the  good  or  for 
the  service  of  the  group.     Creativity  and  cooperative  spirit  are  among  the  things 

the  Director  of  Camp  covets  most  for  his  campers  and  I  am  sure  he  is 

constantly  searching  for  new  and  better  ways  toi  bring  about  a  larger  degree  of 
them. 

....  Another  advantage  of  this  plan  is  that  it  would  quickly  bring  to  the 
attention  of  the  counselors  and  camp  director  lack  of  adjustment  on  the  part  of  a 
boy  and  thus  start  the  processes  of  readjustment  much  earlier  than  at  present. 
In  fact  it  is  now  quite  possible  to  overlook  some  of  the  real  needs  of  a  boy  which 
can  only  be  met  in  a  sympathetic  group. 

....  Camp  life  as  the  curriculum  was  rarely  brought  out  by  the  group  dis- 
cussion or  staff  conference  where  there  could  be  a  pooling  of  resources  for  plan- 
ning and  enriching  the  program.  I  sometimes  felt  much  as  one  does  in  a  school 
where  the  curriculum  has  been  prescribed  and  problems  are  only  those  of  execu- 
tion and  administration ;  that  any  contribution  to  planning  must  needs  have  gotten 
in  before  the  catalogue  went  to  press. 

Heads  of  departments  were  called  together  for  frequent  conferences  but  there 
was  a  lack  of  the  processes  necessary  for  campers  to  share  in  thinking  through 
camp  problms.  It  would  be  a  great  help  to  the  staff  and  the  camp  if  greater 
flexibility  of  program  planning  could  be  felt  by  each  counselor  and  camper  and 
occasional  conferences  be  held  where  those  who  desired  could  express  themselves, 
and  where  after  discussion  changes  could  be  made.  This  would  doubtless  take 
away  some;'  of  the  smoothness  of  administration,  but  perhaps  it  might  develop  a 
finer  responsibility  and  more  creativity  on  the  part  of  counselors  and  campers. 
It  would  give  an  emotional  tone  of  greater  freedom,  a  more  expansive  horizon. 

A  place  where  this  method  of  cooperative  planning  in  councils,  and  confer- 
ences could  contribute  much  is  in  scheduling  activities.  So  many  activities  were 
going  on  at  once,  that  boys  who  wanted  to  go  to  two  or  more  activities  scheduled 


128  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

at  the  same  time  felt  a  sense  of  rush  and  tension.  This  tension  was  increased  in 
some  cases  because  two  or  more  announcements  were  emphasized  with  a  "threat" 
that  this  particular  activity  was  a  decisive  factor  in  obtaining  an  honor  emblem. 
Group  planning  might  have  helped  to  have  improved  the  situation,  and  avoided 
some  of  the  seeming  conflicts.  With  instruction  groups  meeting  in  the  mornings 
the  cabin  groups  might  well  plan  their  activities  for  the  afternoon,  as  a  group, 
their  own  counselors  taking  part  with  them  as  much  as  possible. 

The  next  point  for  discussion  is  the  award  or  recognition  system.  Many  edu- 
cators and  psychologists  hold  that  extrinsic  awards  are  justifiable  only  when  used 
as  scaffolding  to  a  building — as  a  means  of  aiding  construction,  but  to  be  removed 

as  soon  as  possible — not  to  become  a  part  of  the  structure.     While  Camp  

has  evolved  a  very  attractive  honor  emblem  system — one  that  is  free  from  many 
of  the  objectionable  features  to  be  found  in  many  camps — the  time  has  come  when 

Camp has  a  staff  that  no  longer  needs  the  aid  of  this  scaffolding  and  it 

is  in  danger  of  getting  in  the  way.  A  distinct  advance  was  made  this  year,  how- 
ever, when  it  was  decided  to  abolish  the  medals  for  "bests" ;  in  a  short  time  the 
remainder  of  the  scaffolding  can  be  removed.* 

In  1932  this  camp  still  gave  a  letter  in  each  activity  group  to  the 
boy  in  each  age  group  who  was  held  most  worthy  of  it  by  the  Supervisors 
of  that  activity.  In  addition  to  this  all  boys  were  urged  constantly  to 
work  for  the  Cainp  Honor  Emblems.  The  Honor  Emblems  were  based 
upon  the  completion  of  a  set  of  tests  prescribed  for  each  year.  Below 
are  given  the  requirements  for  a  boy  who  was  spending  his  first  summer 
in  this  camp.  They  were  more  extensive  and  more  difficult  for  the 
second,  third  and  fourth  year  boys : 

REQUIREMENTS  FOR  THE  FIRST  YEAR  CAMP  HONOR  EMBLEM 

Keynote:     All-Round  Development 

Physical  Training 

1.  Demonstrate  ability  to  play  eight  group  games  and  three  team  games. 

2.  Participate  five  days  each  week  for  six  weeks  in  some  physical  activity, 
including  two  track  meets,  two  regular  hikes,  one  tennis  tournament. 

3.  Pass  rowboat  test— prescribed  by  counselor  in  charge. 

4.  Pass  canoe  test — prescribed  by  counselor  in  charge. 

5.  Swim  25  yards — prescribed  by  counselor  in  charge. 

6.  In  boxing,  demonstrate  in  three  two-minute  rounds  fair  proficiency  in  lead- 
ing, guarding,  and  footwork. 

7.  In  track,  demonstrate  fair  form  in  the  dash,  high  jump,  broad  jump,  and 
know  rules  for  these  events. 

8.  In  tennis,  demonstrate  fair  form  in  the  forehand  and  backhand  strokes, 
serving,  and  knowledge  of  scoring. 

9.  Attend  at  least  eight  horseback  periods  and  show  reasonably  good  form  in 
riding. 

10.  Know  parts  of  bow  and  arrow  and  shoot  with  reasonably  good  form. 

Mental  Training 

1.  Read  a  prescribed  book  and  pass  verbal  test  on  same. 

2.  Name  and  identify  10  trees,  15  flowers,  5  birds,  5  minerals,  and  4  con- 
stellations. 


^Document  No.  3  5. 


Educational  Changes  in  Modern  Camps  129 

3.  Entertain  in  lobby  or  council  ring  with  story,  stunt,  or  music. 

4.  Contribute  one  acceptable  article  to  the  Warhoop. 

5.  Make  a  five-minute  talk  on  your  hobby. 

Devotionai,  Training 

1.  Faithful  participation  in  cabin  devotions,  Bible  Study  and   Sunday  services. 

2.  Read  the  Gospel  of  Mark  or  the  book  of  I  Samuel  (Old  Testament.) 
(Optional.) 

3.  Self-control    (control   of  temper,   speech,  and  actions). 

4.  Keep  the  Morning  Watch  three  times  a  week.     (Optional.) 

5.  Show  by  your  good  turns  that  you  are  thoughtful  of  others  and  have  a  real 
desire  to  be  of  service. 

(Select  one  of  the  two  optionals  in  Devotional  Training.) 

Campcraft  and  Woodcraft 

1.  Know  how  to  tie  eight  knots. 

2.  Camp  out  overnight  at  least  once  during  the  camp  season. 

3.  Make  an  accepted  improvement  to  camp  grounds  or  to  camp  equipment. 

4.  Lay  a  campfire  properly,  using  fuzz  sticks  and  light  it  with  one  match. 

5.  Own  and  know  how  to  use  a  pocket-knife  and  make  one  acceptable  article 
in  knifecraft. 

Special 

1.  Remain  in  camp  eight  weeks. 

2.  Good  camp  spirit. 

3.  Do  full  part  in  cabin  inspection  and  camp  duties. 

4.  Neatness  in  personal  appearance  and  personal  property. 

5.  Qualify  for  pro-marksman  medal  in  riflery. 

6.  Make  one  acceptable  article  in  the  crafts  department. 

7.  Know  by  name  every  boy  in  camp. 

8.  Attend  First  Aid  class  regularly  and  pass  test. 

9.  Be  charted  by  camp  director. 

10.  Pass  mystic  point  and  make  a  satisfactory  record  in  obedience,  cheerfulness, 
helpfulness,  unselfishness,  promptness,  and  loyalty." 

Below^  are  more  excerpts  from  the  author's  article : 
This  emblem  award  system  was  the  one  point  about  the  camp  this  summer 
that  tended  most  to  irritate  me.  Some  counselors  and  many  of  the  boys  also  felt 
irritation.  I  was  probably  more  sensitive  toward  any  sort  of  award  .system  than 
anyone  else  in  camp  because  my  studies  in  psychology  and  education  had  brought 
me  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  unsound  educationally  and  that  forms  of  special 
recognition  fitted  to  the  individual  at  the  particular  time  is  a  better  plan  than  a 
mass  approach  which  is  supposed  to  apply  to  all  persons  who  attain  a  certain 
standing  even  when  the  quality  of  their  work  cannot  possibly  be  comparable. 
Mass  approach  whether  in  recognitions  and  awards  or  in  other  matters  is  contrary 
to  principles  of  individual  guidance. 

The  next  reason  why  I  do  not  enjoy  working  with  the  honor  emblem  system 
comes  from  my  own  experience  in  two  different  camps.  In  one  we  had  an  honor 
emblem  system  for  three  years  and  then  abandoned  it ;  in  the  other  camp  a  ribbon 
award  system  was  in  vogue  for  six  or  seven  years  before  it  was  dropped.  In  each 
case  there  was  so  much  improvement  in  camp  spirit,  friendship,  fellowship,  and 
creativity  that  I  was  convinced  the  disadvantages  of  extrinsic  regulation  of  camp 
life  were  far  greater  than  the  advantages.  For  a  month  or  so  of  the  first  year 
after  the  special  recognition  systems  were  dropped  there  was  difficulty  of  adjust- 
ment and  some  dissatisfaction  on  the  part  of  the  "stars"  who  had  been  getting  the 


"Document  No.  36. 


130  Organized  Cainfing  and  Progressive  Education 

awards  and  fattening  their  ego,  but  there  was  satisfaction  on  the  part  of  those 
who  were  not  "stars"  and  who  had  been  receiving  little  commendation  for  their 
efforts,  because  they  were  rarely  winners,  but  who  now  were  recognized.  Without 
recognition  systems  there  is  less  of  the  odious  comparison  between  boys  of  unlike 
abilities,  less  of  jealous  rivalries,  and  more  of  cooperative  helpfulness,  and  sym- 
pathetic understanding. 

Although  Camp  has   rid  its  recognition  systems  of  about  as  many 

objectional  features  as  possible,  I  would  still  prefer  to  see  the  camp  drop  the 
remaining  awards  except  those  that  come  from  national  organizations  such  as 
riflery,  life  saving,  first  aid.  Boy  Scouts,  and  such  agencies,  and  fill  the  place  with 
personalized  commendation  and  recognition  given  when  the  occasion  for  it  arises 
in  the  most  natural  fashion. 

Should  it  prove  too  difficult  to  drop  the  entire  system  at  one  time,  I  would 
recommend  dropping  the  honor  emblem  for  next  year,  retaining  the  letters  in  the 
different  activities.  The  honor  emblem  system,  if  retained,  should  be  greatly  re- 
vised and  a  great  many  options  put  in  the  place  of  the  specific  requirements,  so 
that  no  one  item  could  be  the  determining  factor  as  to  whether  a  boy  succeeded 
in  getting  the  emblem.  At  present  although  things  to  be  done  are  probably  good, 
if  done  by  a  boy's,  own  choice  the  fact  that  they  are  required  fills  some  with  the 
feeling  of  a  fellow  in  college  who  has  decided  to  get  a  certain  degree,  but)  finds 
that  his  courses  are  prescribed  and  that  he  has  few  electives.  There  is  irritation 
and  bad  educational  practice. 

This  summer  I  heard  boys  say  that  they  hated  certain  activities  but  had  to  do 
them  to  get  their  emblems.  Boys  have  gone  out  with  me  to  learn  ten  trees  so 
they  could  pass  the  emblem  tests,  and  as  soon  as  they  had  their  number,  even  if  it 
was  in  the  middle  of  an  afternoon  nature  stroll,  they  heaved  a  big  sigh  of  relief 
and  headed  back  for  camp  as  quickly  as  possible,  while  other  boys  who  were  not 
working  for  an  emblem  went  on  and  learned  much  more.  The  11 -year-old  boy 
who  learned  more  than  a  hundred  wild  flowers  this  summer  was  not  working  for 
an  honor  emblem.  Sometimes  a  boy  is  led  to  try  something  he  does  not  like 
because  of  an  honor  emblem  test,  and  then  learns  to  like  that  activity,  but  if  a 
counselor  is  skillful  he  can  find  better  ways  to  broaden  a  boy's  interests. 

There  are  several  assumptions  underneath  the  usual  emblem  system  with  which 
I  disagree.  One  is  that  as  camp  people  we  are  not  skillful  enough  to  help  a  boy 
find  and  develop  creatively  his  own  everyday  life  program;  the  second  is  that 
some  activities  are  better  for  boys  than  others  and  that  we  are  best  fitted  to  choose 
these  for  any  boy  or  every  boy.  rather  than  believe  that  every  boy  has  a  program 
of  living  which  we  may  enrich  by  guiding  his  choices  and  decisions ;  third,  we 
tend  to  assume  that  a  boy  does  not  carry  enough  motive  power  within  himself  and 
so  we  try  to  supply  it  from  the  outside,  missing  the  great  opportunity  to  stir  the 
latent  abilities  within. 

There  is  another  way  in  which  the  honor  emblem  system  seems  to  defeat  its 
purpose.  We  believe  that  boys  should  develop  hobbies  and  a  large  number  of 
interests  are  considered  desirable.  While  a  boy  may  be  introduced  to  a  number  cf 
activities  in  working  for  his  emblem,  he  has  little  time  to  devote  to  either  one  of 
them.  May  we  nof  be  immunizing  boys  to  some  activities  by  giving  them  small 
doses  of  them  as  requirements  for  emblem  work,  and  not  furnishing  sufficient  time 
to  go  far  enough  into  them  to  appreciate  and  enjoy  them?  I  have  seen  boys  start 
out  on  an  activity  with  enough  interest  to  have  gone  far  in  it  in  a'  summer,  but 
by  the  time  they  were  well  started  in  it  they  had  passed  the  emblem  tests  and  felt 
they  must  devote  their  time  to  passing  tests  in  some  other  activity,  hence  could 
not  follow  this  one  further.  Would  it  not  have  been  preferable  for  them  to  have 
continued  along  a  few  lines,  rather  than  attempted  all?  Some  boys  did  that  this 
summer  to  their  entire  satisfaction,  although  they  did  not  get  the  honor  emblems. 

The  most  difficult  part  of  the  question  of  emblems  probably  is  tied  up  with 
promotion  and  the  expectations  of  parents.  Summer  camps  started  free  from 
these  types  of  recognitions  but  have  built  up  through  their  advertising  and  talking 
a  belief  on  the  part  of  parents  that  these  systems  are  marks  of  worth.     A  boy 


Educat'wftal  Changes  in  Modern  Camps  131 

may  go  through  a  summer  in  camp  and  be  as  interested  and  do  just  as  good  work 
as  another  boy  who  complies  with  the  test  requirements  and  gets  an  emblem,  but 
the  parent  assumes  that  he  has  not  done  good  work  because  lie  does  not  get  the 
emblem  and  so  the  parent  desiring  the  boy  to  succeed  puts  him  under  pressure  to 
comply  and  get  the  emblem.  The  boy  in  many  cases  feels  he  is  almost  back  in 
school.  Boys  would  be  ready  to  dispense  with  the  emblem  system  if  the  matter 
was  properly  presented  for  their  consideration ;  the  resale  of  camping  to  their 
parents  on  a  different  basis  is  a  little  more  difficult,  but  not  as  much  so  as  may 
be  expected.  In  fact  a  change  in  the  letters  and  literature  relative  to  the  purposes 
of  camping  brought  an  unexpectedly  fine  response  from  patrons  in  one  camp. 
They  were  pleased  with  the  change  in  the  camp's  philosophy. 

The  following  is  a  conversation  overheard  in  cabin  8  by  the  counselor  in 
cabin  7  during  the  first  week  of  camp: 

"Yes,  this  cabin  is  a  good  one,  we're  going  to  be  100%  on  everything." 

"Say,  you  guys  who  want  a  first  year  emblem  better  get  started  on  the  Morn- 
ing Watch." 

"What  sort  of  thing  is  that?" 

"Oh,  you  go  down  in  the  Council  Ring  and  read  your  Bible  every  morning — 
no  not  every  morning — just  three  times  a  week." 

"Why  do  that?" 

"It's  one  of  the  requirements  for  the  emblem.  You  could  go  every  day,  but 
the  requirement  is  just  three  days  a  week." 

"Do  they  assign  what  you  read?" 

"No,  just  read  anywhere  you  want  to." 

"Do  you  have  to  report  on  it?" 

"No,  you  don't  have  to  report  on  it." 

"Then  you  could  just  sit  there  with  the  Bible  open  whether  you  read  or  not?" 

"Sure,  but  you  might  as  well  read,  it  won't  hurt  you  to  read  the  Bible.  It'll 
probably  be  good  for  you." 

"Well,  it  don't  interest  me." 

"You  don't  know  how  to  pick  it— some  of  it's  interesting.  The  Book  of  Ruth 
is." 

"Well,  most  of  it  I  don't  understand." 

Boys  were  heard  toi  make  such  expressions  this  summer  as :  "Gee !  I'll  be 
glad  w-hen  I  get  this  emblem  work  oflf ;  then  I  can  enjoy  camp" ;  "I  wouldn't  work 
at  this  emblem  thing,  but  Mama  will  be  so  disappointed  if  I  don't  get  an  emblem"  ; 
"I'll  be  glad  when  emblem  work  is  complete,  and  I'll  be  glad  to  get  the  emblem, 
but  I  wish  they  didn't  have  them" ;  "You'd  better  work  for  that  emblem.  'Hank.' 
for  a  fellow  feels  awful  bad  that  last  night  if  he  don't  get  one,  when  all  the 
fellows  are  getting  theirs  and  'Chief  talks;  about  what  fine  campers  they  are  to 
get  them" ;  "I'd  like  awfully  to  go  on  that  canoe  trip  but  I  can't  do  anythmg  else 
now  until  I  get  this  emblem  work  off." 

These  expressions  could  be  multiplied  many  times  and  to  one  who  hears  them, 
it  gives  much  the  same  impression  as  high  school  students  cramming  for  an  ex- 
amination. The  real  development  of  self-reliance,  initiative,  and  creativeness  may 
be  greatly  impaired  and  endangered  for  some  boys. 

Fortunately,  there  were  many  things  to  do  which  have  not  been  connected  with 
the  emblem  system,  and  the  camp  has;  a  most  wholesome  and  inspiring  influence 

on  the  bovs.     The  things  about  Camp  that  have  been  most  helpful  and 

have  contributed  most  to  the  fine  spirit  of  the  campers  has  been  the  cultural  and 
spirit-enriching  elements,  found  in  the  Music,  the  Devotional  Services,  the  re- 
treats," Sunday  services,  the  daily  living  and  fellowship  of  the  staff,  the  singing 
of  grace  at  meals  and  many  other  features  of  the  kind.  The  hikes  and  trips  have 
made  a  great  contribution  and  have  probably  brought  more  real  valuable  expe- 
riences than  most  of  the  activities  within  the  base  camp.  These  could  be  increased 
if  more  trips  were  taken  in  a  careful  leisurely  way,  with  adequate  training  and 


132  Orgafiized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

preparation  for  them.     The  campcraft  feature  sets  this  camp  ahead  of  most  camps 
in  this  area.' 

The  Director  received  the  article  of  criticism  from  which  these 
quotations  were  taken  with  an  open  mind,  commented  that  it  was  an 
excellent  paper  not  only  on  his  camp  but  on  camping,  and  took  steps 
to  change  procedures  for  the  following  year.  In  fact  in  1933  the  honor 
emblem  award  system  was  completely  eliminated.  Every  camper  was 
given  freedom  to  choose  his  activities  but  was  encouraged  and  guided  by 
his  cabin  counselor  in  making  his  selection.  With  these  changes 
campers  showed  marked  relief  from  tensions  and  worked  busily  at  the 
activities  of  their  choice.  Even  the  camp  bookkeeper  and  business 
manager  whose  duties  kept  him  in  the  of^ce  most  of  the  time  noticed 
and  commented  upon  how  much  happier  the  boys  were  than  in  previous 
years. 

This  result  was  made  possible  because  a  number  of  the  counselors 
had  been  trained  for  more  individual  guidance  of  their  campers  in 
the  Institutes  at,  Blue  Ridge,  and  the  new  plan  gave  them  opportunity 
to  practice  it  effectively. 

Discussions  at  the  Sectional  and  National  meetings  of  the  Camp 
Directors'  Association  of  America  indicate  that  the  above  report  is 
typical  of  the  changes  that  are  taking  place  in  many  camps.  To  what 
extent  is  this  just  a  new  style  in  camping  and  to  what  extent  is  it  based 
upon  a  significant  and  understanding  shift  in  the  underlying  philosophy? 
Are  Camp  Directors  beginning  to  move  from  the  fixities  and  absolutes 
of  an  intellectualistic  philosophy  which  has  envisaged  a  static  world  ? 
And  are  they  approaching  a  voluntaristic  philosophy  which  expects 
constant  change  and  adjustment  to  the  situations  of  a  dynamic  universe? 
The  answers  to  either  of  these  questions  cannot  be  made  for  all  camp 
directors,  but  in  the  main  the  answer  seems  to  be  "Yes." 

A  Study  of  Modern  Camps 

In  an  attempt  to  determine  the  extent  to  which  Camp  Directors 
were  approaching  a  voluntaristic  educational  philosophy,  letters  were 
mailed  to  five  hundred  camp  directors — most  of  whom  were  members 
of  the  Camp  Directors'  Association  of  America — in  all  sections  of  the 
United  States  and  Canada.  These  letters  were  not  in  the  form  of  a 
questionnaire,  but  simply  a  request  for  copies  of  booklets,  reports, 
forms,  and  printed  materials  that  could  readily  be  sent. 

Out  of  this  number  100  camp  directors  responded  with  a  variety  of 
material;  some  sent  very  excellent  "camp  logs"  and  camper-written 
publications  in  addition  to  booklets  and  reports.  In  a  few  cases  scarce- 
ly enough  material  was  given  to  judge  accurately  as  to  the  philosophy 
underlying  the  camp  program,  but  in  most  cases  it  was  quite  clear.  Of 
course,  all  shades  of  philosophy  from  the  most  rigidly  intellectualistic 
to  the  very  free  and  voluntaristic  were  represented.  Some  directors 
had  accepted  the  language  of  progressive  educationists,  but  inconsistent 
academic  procedures  described  in  the  same  booklets  indicated  that  they 


'Document  No.   35,   pp.   6-9. 


Educational  Chaui^ts  in  Mod,rn  Camps  133 

were  parroting  the  language ;  at  least  the  underlying  principles  had  ncjt 
been  thought  through  to  a  point  where  they  could  i)ut  them  into  i)raclice 
and  give  up  their  traditional  methods. 

In  order  to  tabulate  results  on  this  mass  of  materials  it  was  necessary 
to  set  up  some  sort  of  norms  by  which  to  classify  these  diverse  camps 
into  groups.  Even  though  each  camp  was  different  from  every  other 
one,  it  was  found  practical  to  pick  out  certain  types  toward  which  each 
approached  more  nearly  than  any  other.  In  order  to  make  clear  what 
these  types  represent,  descriptions  of  them  will  be  followed  by  short 
excerpts  from  camp  booklets  that  fall  in  the  various  classes. 

Type  I 

Type  I  is  the  designation  for  those  camps  which  we  may  call  "Free." 
They  had  no  definite  schedule  for  the  day  except  for  eating,  sleeping 
and  swimming,  and  with  the  guidance  of  counselors  they  allowed  each 
camper  free  choice  of  activity.  Recognitions  came  from  group  ap- 
proval, and  in  the  natural  family  or  neighborhood  way  with  no  kinds 
of  honors  or  awards  offered.  Attainment  of  such  nationally  recognized 
standards  as  those  of  riflery,  swimming,  scouting  were  allowed  the 
nationally  specified  recognitions.  Of  the  100  camps  reporting  22  (22%) 
were  placed  in  this  class,  although  a  few  retain  some  limitations  upon 
this  free  approach.     Excerpts  from  two  camp  booklets  are  given ; 

(a)  One  of  the  principles  of  Camp 's  organization  is  that  each  camper 

follows  the  varied  activities  according  to  her  own  pace  and  strength  and  is  not 
swept  along  by  an  insistent  schedule  of  group  activities.  There  is  time  for  re- 
laxation and  music  and)  poetry,  time  for  a  clearer  understanding  of  the  love  of 
friend  and  God,  all  of  which  results  in  an  atmosphere  of  the  normal  life  of  a 
country  home.     (A  North  Carolina  Camp.) 

(b)  The  system  of  marking  with  points  the  achievement  in  the  various  activi- 
ties is  not  used,  as  the  camp  feels  that  individual  interest  and  enthusiasm  as  a 
basis  of  entering  these  activities  should  be  emphasized.  .  .  The  camp  is  interested 
in  helping  the  campers  use  their  free  time  wisely.  .  .  .  Twilight  finds  many  of  the 
counselors  and  girls,  in  canoes  and  irowboats  on  the  lake  while  the  sun  sets  and 
the  moon  comes  up.  Others  may  be  playing  group  games  or  strolling  along  the 
road  or  having  a  picnic  across  the  lake — all  of  them  happy  in  their  own  choice 
of  what  to  do.     (A  Maine  Camp.) 

Type  II 

The  second  classification  designated  as  Type  II.  may  be  described  as 
the  "50-50"  group  for  although  they  were  changing  toward  more  free- 
dom they  were  still  about  half  academic  in  their  practices.  They  sched- 
uled the  morning  activities  rather  definitely  and  allowed  much  freedom 
of  choice  for  the  remainder  of  the  day.  They  had  some  kinds  of  sys- 
tems for  honors  and  awards  for  individuals,  but  were  not  stressing 
competition  with  others.  They  were  opposed  to  an  athletic  emphasis 
and  aimed  at  a  nature  program  suitable  to  the  country  and  not  a  dupli- 
cation of  the  city  and  school  sports  of  the  other  seasons  of  the  year. 


134  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

The  35  camps  in  this  group  comprised  35%  of  those  reporting.     A  camp 
booklet  gives  the  following : 

Social  adjustment,  leading  to  a  new  sense  of  social  values,  and  to  new  social 
satisfactions ;  the  acquirement  of  new  skills,  leading  to  useful  and  pleasant  avoca- 
tions ;  the  discovery  and  development  of  latent  abilities  and  talents,  leading  to  a 
wider  range  of  interests  and  capacities,  and  therefore  to  a  richer,  fuller  life ;  the 
development  of  initiative,  resourcefulness,  and  poise,  leading  to  self-mastery  and 
independence  of  action ;  a  physical  regimen  that  brings  boys  and  girls  to  the  end 
of  their  vacations  with  minds  eager  and  alert,  and  bodies  glowing  with  health ; 
friendships  that  contribute,  throughout  the  years  to  come,  to  social  happiness  and 
business  success;  the  awakening  of  the  deeper  and  finer  impulses  of  the  soul  of 
youth,  leading  to  an  enrichment  of  the  esthetic  and  spiritual  life  and  a  love  of  the 
finer  things  of  life — these  are  some  of  the  higher  values  of  catup  training  which 
strengthen  character  and  enrich  personality. 

This  sentence  indicates  a  transition  in  philosophy  but  it  occurs  in  the 
same  booklet  with  the  following: 

....  Under  the  recognition  systems  of  camp  a  careful  record  is  kept  and  the 
proper  recognition  is  given  all  of  a  boy's  achievements.  The  honor  emblem  will 
be  awarded  to  those  campers  who  complete  tests  required  for  same.  This  emblem 
carries  with  it  a  distinct  honor  and  denotes  all-round  development  and  proficiency 
in  camping.  .  .  .  The  camp  monogram  (letter)  will  be  awarded  to  boys  who  excel, 
according  to  their  weight',  class,  in  track,  swimming,  boxing,  and  wrestling ;  and 
those  who  excel  according  to  section,  in  woodcraft,  scoutcraft,  marksmanship, 
horsemanship,  craftsmanship,  archery,  tennis,  nature  lore,  astronomy,  Indian  Lore, 
canoeing,  Bible  Study,  and  first  aid.     (A  North  Carolina  Camp.) 

This  camp  formerly  had  silver  medals  for  a  lot  of  "bests"  but  drop- 
ped them  in  1932  at  request  of  the  older  campers.  The  inconsistencies 
of  the  two  sections  listed  above  indicate  a  camp  in  transition  and  the 
1933  booklet  of  this  camp  makes  no  reference  whatever  to  "all-round" 
program  or  to  any  type  of  emblems  or  awards. 

Type  III 

A  third  group  of  camps  might  be  called  "athletic."  While  volun- 
taristic  in  some  ways  these  camps  used  the  half  day  schedule  and  a 
personal  honor  and  award  system,  gave  awards  for  "Bests"  and  high- 
point  campers.  They  stressed  athletics  and  in)struction  in  athletic 
sports.  Of  the  100  camps  reporting,  12,  or  12%,  fell  in  this  classifica- 
tion.    Statements  published  by  one  of  them  is  given  below: 

X is  not  a  school  in  the  old  sense  of  the  term  where  fundamentals  were 

taught  by  the  rule  of  thumb  and  the  rod,  without  consideration  of  the  adaptability 
of  the  boy.  X is  more  like  the  "dark  room"  of  a  photographer's  establish- 
ment, where  the  film  is  dipped  into  the,  developing  tank,  carefully  worked  over, 
the  obscured  qualities  brought  into  striking  prominence,  the  rough  spots  smoothed 
over  and  a  finished  print  of  beauty  returned  to  the  owner. 

Thus  X is  the  developing  tank  of  boyhood.     Your  boy  comes  to  X . 

He  is  analyzed  sympathetically,  first  by  the*  director,  then  by  the  counselors  who 
watch  his  participation  and  reactions  in  various  activities.  He  is  encouraged  to  do 
things  he  likes  and  the  things  for  which  he  is  best  fitted.,  .  .  . 

X features  a  new  type  of  athletic  program  which  not  only  teaches  the 

fine  points  of  each  game  on  the  field,  but  also  provides  for  a  special  study  of  each 
boy's  physical  status.  It  instructs  him,  by  means  of  special  lectures,  blackboard 
talks  and  motion  pictures,  in  the  fundamentals  of  the  separate  sports.  .  .  . 

....  The  weekly  progress  of  the  campers  is  recorded  by  means  of,  ai^  honor 


Educational  Changes  in  Modern  Camps  135 

chart  system.  This  determines  the  winners  of  cups  and  medals  in  addition  to 
showing  the  boy's  final  progress  for  the  summer.  Counselors  hold  daily  meetings 
with  the  director  to  discuss  the'  hoy's  daily  work,  accomplishments,  and  improve- 
ments, all  of  which  are  recorded  on  the  honor  chart.     (A  Maine  Camp.) 

Type  IV 

We  may  call  the  fourth  group  of  camps  the  ''academic"  for  they 
have  the  program  arranged  and  scheduled  very  much  as  a  school  cur- 
riculum might  be.  They  divide  the  camp  into  sides  for  every  sort  of 
competition  (or  else  use  the  cabin  groups  as  units  for  competition)  ;  they 
keep  account  of  the  points  won  by  individuals  and  by  tribes  (or  groups)  ; 
and  they  award  trophies,  cups  and  emblems  at  the  end  of  the  summer 
on  the  basis  of  the  point  system.  It  seemed  necessary  to  place  26,  or 
26%,  of  the  camps  reporting  in  this  class  although  some  were  much 
more  extreme  than  others.  Habit  formation,  indoctrination  conformity, 
are  seen  as  emphases  of  these  camps ;  regimentation  of  activity  and 
mass  discipline  are  methods.  Awards  are  the  necessary  sugar-coatings 
and  artificial  stimulants.  Ten  years  ago  the  vast  majority  of  camps 
were  of  this  type.     Two  illustrations  are  given : 

(a)  The  girls  are  kept  so  busy  and  interested  in  wholesome  amusements  that 
they  have  neither  the  time  nor  the  desire  to  engage  in  things  objectionable.  .  . 
Counselors  are  expected  to  see  that  they  enter  wholeheartedly  into  all  camp  activi- 
ties, and  to  use  every  opportunity  for  instilling  into  them  the  highest  ideals.  .  .  . 
Through  the  season  each  tribe  strives  to  excel  in  camp  activities  and  in  camp 
spirit.  The  tribe  which  has  the  greatest  number  of  points  at  the  close  of  the 
season  is  declared  the  winner  and  is  presented  with  the  "Winner's  Banner." 

Camp  Letters  are  awarded  to  all  campers  who  have  measured  up  to  the  ideals 
of  the  camp,  which  include  taking  part  in  all  camp  activities,  keeping  camp  regu- 
lations, and  showing  a  spirit  of  helpfulness  and  cooperation.  Honors  are  given 
for  the  best  hiker,  best  diver,  champion  tennis  player,  for  the  best  kept  room,  the 
best  collection  of  camp  photographs.  The  most  coveted  honors  are  "Best  All- 
Round  Camper"  and  "Spirit  of  Good  Cheer."  .  .  .  Competition  is  keen  and  the 
judges  find  it  difficult  to  determine  who  are  the  winners.  (A  North  Carolina 
Camp.) 

(b)  The  campers  are  divided  into  four  tribes  ,   , . 

and  .     The  contests  which  are  carried  on  between  these  tribes  are  very 

spirited  and  close.  Some  teams  winning  in  baseball,  others  excelling  in  water 
sports,  or  tennis,  or  field  events.  The  results  are  doubtful  right  up  to  the  end  of 
the  season.  Every  boy  becomes  active  in  a  variety  of  sports,  whether  he  plays 
the  game  well  or  not,  for  the  sake  of  his  team.  At  the  same  time  each  boy  is 
adding  points  to  his  individual  records,  for  which  medals  are  awarded  in  the 
various  events.  .  .  . 

Each  boy  is  classified  in  the  group  in  which  at  least  two  of  his  measurements 
(age,  weight,  height)  fall,  and  according  to  his  development.  The  standard  for 
credits  in  each  class  is  adapted  to  the  degree  of  ability  which  may  be  expected 
from  boys  of  that  class.  The  scheme  places  all  boys  on  an  equal  footing  on  the 
basis  of  age.  size,  and  development.  This  will  enable  the  boys  to  compete  for 
the  camp  championship. 

A  banquet  is  held  the  last  week  of  camp,  at  which  there  is  a  great  spirit  and 
good  fellowship  never  to  be  forgotten,  and  the  medals  are  awarded  amid  toasts 
and  songs  as  the  winners  receive  their  medals.     (A  Maine  Camp.) 


136 


Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 


Type  V — Miscellaneous 

The  other  five  camps  could  not  very  well  be  classified  among  these 
types  and  so  we  group  them  together  as  a  specialist  type  of  camp 
(Type  V).  Most  of  them  deal  with  such  specialties  as  music,  art, 
rhythm,  drama  and  physical  culture. 

It  had  not  been  expected  that  definite  conclusions  could  be  drawn 
from  this  data.  The  study  was  an  efifort  to  discover  present  condi- 
tions and  if  possible  to  measure  certain  trends. 

Of  the  100  camps'  reporting  66  were  private  camps.  The  data  did 
not  contain  definite  figures  on  enrollment.  Sometimes  there  was  a 
statement  as  to  the  capacity  of  the  camp,  but  in  general  the  size  of  a 
camp  was  only  to  be  judged  by  group  pictures  in  the  booklets.  The 
66  represent  a  pretty  good  cross  section  of  camping ;  some  of  them  had 
an  enrollment  of  300  or  more ;  some  were  around  50,  and  most  of  them 
enrolled  between  75  and  150.  The  Table  below  gives  the  statistics  for 
this  group : 

TABLE  NO.  1 
Classification  op  Private  Campg 


Type 

I 

II 

III 

IV 

V 

Total 

No. 

4 

% 
12.9 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

Boys 

7 

22.6 

7 

22.6 

13 

41.9 

0 

0 

31 

100 

Girls 

8 

27.6 

8 

27.6 

5 

17.2 

6 

20.7 

7 

6.9 

29 

100 

"Coed" 

2 

33.3 

1 

16.7 

0 

0 

0 
19 

0 
28.8 

3 
5 

50.0 

7.5 

6 

100 

Totals 

14 

21.2 

16 

24.2 

12 

18.1 

66 

100 

The  sampling  of  the  private  camps  may  be  a  fair  one,  but  most 
likely  it  is  quite  selective.  In  the  first  place,  the  inquiries  were  sent 
out  largely  to  those  camps  that  were  members  of  the  Camp  Directors' 
Association.  Are  such  camps  more  or  less  progressive  than  those  that 
do  not  belong  to  this  organization?  Presumably  they  are  more  inter- 
ested in  camping  as  an  educational  movement  and  so  may  be  less  aca- 
demic, but  one  cannot  be  sure.  The  question  as  to  whether  the  100 
camp  directors  who  did  respond  to  the  inquiiy  were  more  or  less  pro- 
gressive than  400  who  did  not,  might  be  answered  in  the  same  way. 

Since  not  a  large  percentage  of  organizational  camp  directors  are 
members  of  the  Camp  Directors'  Association,  not  so  many  of  them 
were  reached  by  this  study  and  presumably  only  the  most  actively 
interested.  The  sampling  in  this  class  is  very  inadequate.  The  figures 
are  given  in  Table  No.  2. 


Educational  Changes  in  Modern  Cam-ps 


\Z7 


TABLE  NO.  2 
Classification  of  Organization  Camps. 


Type 

I 

II 

III 

IV 

V 

Totals 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

Y.M.C.A. 

4 

6 

0 

6 

0 

16 

Boys  Clubs 

0 

1 

0 

1 

0 

2 

Boy  Scouts 

0 

2 

0 

0 

0 

2 

Total 

Boys  Camps 

4 

20 

9 

45 

0 

0 

7 

35 

0 

0 

20 

100 

Y.W.C.A. 

3 

1 

0 

0 

0 

4 

Girl  Scouts 

0 

1 

0 

0 

0 

1 

Camp-Fire 
Girls 

0 

5 

0 

0 

0 

5 

Totals 
Girls 

3 

30 

7 

70 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

10 

100 

Fresh  Air 
"Co-Ed" 

0 

3 

0 

0 
0 

0 

3 

City 

Recreation 

"Co-Ed" 

1 

0 

0 

0 

1 

Grand 
Totals 

8 

23.5 

19 

55.9 

0 

0 

7 

20.6 

0 

0 

34 

100 

The  percentages  in  these  tables  indicate  no  marked  differences  be- 
tween organizational  and  private  camps  on  this  basis  of  classification. 
No  organizational  camps,  however,  fitted  the  athletic  emphasis  (Type 
III)  or  the  specialty  (Type  V)  types  of  camps.  In  table  No.  3,  below, 
all  the  camps  studied  are  included : 

TABLE  NO.  3. 

Totals  for  Private  and  Organization  Camps 

(Figures  in  Tables  1  and  2  Combined). 


Type 

I 

II 

III 

IV 

V 

Totals 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

Boys 

8 

15.7 

16 

31.4 

7 

13.7 

20 

39.2 

0 

0 

51 

100 

Girls 

11 

28.2 

15 

38.5 

5 

12.8 

6 

15.4 

2 

5.1 

39 

100 

'Co-Ed" 

3 

30.0 

4 

40.0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

3 

30.0 

10 

100 

Totals 

22 

22.0 

35 

35.0 

12 

12.0 

26 

26.0 

5 

5.0 

100 

100 

138  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

Of  the  100  camps  studied,  22,  or  22^0  (see  Table  No.  3),  were 
classified  as  of  the  "Free"  program  type.  An  additional  35%  had 
made  much  advancement  in  that  direction.  Twelve  more  (12%)  while 
specializing  in  Athletic  Sports  were  breaking  away  from  Academic 
program  methods  to  some  extent.  Only  26  (26%)  still  held  to  the 
academic  methods  of  fixed  programs,  with  competitive  divisions  and 
point  award  systems  for  motivation. 

One  is  tempted  to  call  "Progressive"  those  camps  (Type  I)  which 
are  attaining  a  program  which  makes  for  freedom  and  individual  guid- 
ance, because  their  underlying  principles  of  philosophy  often  coincide 
with  those  of  the  progressive  education  movement.  The  term  "pro- 
gressive" has  so  many  possible  meanings  that  it  is  necessary  to  illus- 
trate the  sense  in  which  it  is  used  here.  Below  is  described  a  "progres- 
sive" school  by  a  progressive  educator. 

The  classrooms  are  in  reality  miniature  laboratories  where  the  children  can 
carry  on  the  many  projects  which  are  part  of  the  whole'  method  involved.  I  do 
not  see  a  single  room  with  the  row  after  row  of  desks  which  one  is  accustomed 
to  see  in  the  average  school  room ;  instead  there  were  tables  large  enough  to  ac- 
commodate all  kinds  of  experiments,  shelves  to  display  the  work,  in  fact  all  the 
equipment  that  such  work  would  require.  .  .  .  The  whole  spirit  of  this  school  is 
that  of  enjoying  what  is  being  done  and  working  from  choice. 

He  (i.  e.  the  late  Ovide  Decroly)  did  not  set  out  to  teach  children  things  that 
would  be  useful  to  them  in  later  life ;  not  to  prepare  them  for  some  remote  and 
distant  destiny.  Instead  he  took  the  child  as  he  was,  normal  or  abnormal,  and 
enabled  him  through  his  five  senses,  his  memory,  reasoning  power,  native  energy 
of  his  limbs,  and  creative,  energy  of  his  mind  and  emotion,  to  realize  the  world 
about  him  and  to  prepare  him  through  his  own  sense  of  life  for  all  the  demands 
that  life  would  make  upon  him.'' 

Some  camps  of  the  "Free"  type  are  very  nearly  working  out  this 
"progressive"  philosophy.  Camp  Directors  who  have  learned  to  work 
on  the  progressive  basis  have  found  their  experiences  so  interesting 
that  they  are  talking  about  them  in  their  conventions  and  writing  in 
the  camping  magazines.  Conservatives  criticize  the  progressive  group 
and  continue  with  their  fixed  programs  and  award  schemes.  Those 
large  camps,  which  have  not  broken  their  numbers  up  into  smaller 
program  units,  are  continuing  upon  their  semi-military  basis  with  aca- 
demic procedures.  They  have  an  established  reputation  and  large 
numbers  of  loyal  alumni,  and  are  thus  less  influenced  by  changing 
methods. 

It  is  not  intended,  however,  to  give  the  impression  that  any  camp 
has  developed  a  program,  or  a  technique,  which  may  be  recommended 
to  all  other  camps.  Voluntaristic  philosophy  denies  the  attainment  of 
a  satisfactory  perfection,  but  demands  that  all  directors  constantly  and 
critically  examine  their  ways  of  experiencing  camp  living,  so  that  it 
may  continuously  bring  about  better  adjustment  and  more  wholesome 
experiences. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  the  Gestalt  psychologists  one  questions 
whether  camps  are  grasping  the  real  opportunities  for  enriched  living 


'Gilbert,    Lois;    A   Visit   to   the    Decroly    School;    Trogressive    Education.    April, 
1933,  pp.  200-201. 


Educational  Chani^ts  in  Modern  Camps  1  ,V) 

which  their  camp  environment  offers.  So  much  of  the  artificial  enters 
into  camps  that  campers  may  spend  a  whole  summer  without  cominjj^ 
to  feel  the  realities  of  camp.  So  many  urhan  activities  are  imi)ortccl 
into  the  country  alon.c^  with  the  campers  and  counselors,  even  the  direc- 
tors, that  often  there  is  very  little  of  "the  atni()S])hcre  of  a  coontry 
home."  Campers  see  the  hills  as  they  have  seen  them  in  i)ictures.  hut 
without  thinking  of  them  as  something  to  climb  any  more  than  they 
would  think  of  climbing  a  pictured  mountain.  When  directors  and 
counselors  study  their  job  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  Gestalt 
psychologist  and  then  search  to  see  how  they  may  lead  the  camper  to 
find  the  reality  in  the  camp  environment,  they  will  enable  many  chil- 
dren to  enjoy  new  and  interestmg  experiences. 

This  means  that  things  in  the  camping  environment  are  to  be  seen 
in  their  relationships  to  everything  else  including  the  campers — in  re- 
lationship to  what  may  be  done  with  them ;  in  relationship  to  how  one 
feels  about  them ;  in  relation  to  their  part  in  one's  experience.  The 
author's  earliest  recollections  of  certain  roads  near  his  country  home 
were  couched  in  terms  of  his  experience.  One  road  was  the  one  that 
led  to  "Grandpa's"  and  another  was  the  road  to  "Uncle  Jack's,"  and 
it  mattered  not  that  each  of  them  went  to  towns  or  cities  beyond  where 
those  oft  visited  relatives  lived.  To  many  a  city  child  the  only  expe- 
rience with  anything  like  a  country  road  has  been  with  some  rough 
unfinished  street  in  town  or  city — to  him  it  is  just  a  "poor  street." 
How  can  you  help  him  to  appreciate  the  reality  and  the  charm  of  a 
country  road  ? 

This  point  is  illustrated  from  an  incident  related  by  a  camp  director. 
Some  children  from  the  tenements  of  the  lower  Ea?t  Side  of  New 
York  City  were  being  taken  to  one  of  the  camps  in  Interstate  Park. 
One  small  boy  stopped  right  where  he  got  off  the  bus.  When  it  was 
noticed  that  he  did  not  go  with  the  other  children  across  the  fields  and 
woods  toward  the  camp  buildings,  a  counselor  turned  back  and  called 
him.  He  did  not  move,  and  when  the  counselor  went  back  he  said, 
"I  want  to  go  home."  The  surprised  counselor  asked  what  was  wrong. 
His  reply  was,  "There's  no  place  to  play  here."  How  can  we  l>e  sure 
that  our  camp  environment  becomes  real  to  our  campers  through  ex- 
perienced relationships  ? 

While  the  camping  movement  has  not  attained,  it  is  reaching  out 
toward  new  experience  and  more  complete  camp  living  for  every 
camper,  counselor  and  director.  The  era  of  standardization  is  rapidly 
passing  in  the  things  which  should  never  have  been  standardized — 
choice  of  activities  and  human  experience — and  higher  standards  are 
being  set  in  the  realms  where  they  belong;  in  the  realms  of  health 
and  safety. 

OrganizationaIv  Camping 

Although  the  study  tabulated  in  the  table  above  warranted  no  con- 
clusions concerning  organization  camping,  because  of  the  meager  data, 
other  literature  studied  does  give  an  indication  of  the  changes,  within 


140  Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

the  different  organizations,  regarding  educational  philosophy.  The 
Y.  W.  C.  A.  seems  to  be  leading  in  the  practice  of  less  academic  pro- 
cedures in  camp.  This  may  be  due  to  the  fact  that;  they  started  most 
of  their  camps  for  dealing  with  business  women  and  older  girls,  and 
they  never  did  adopt  so  many  of  the  standardized  procedures  that  sprang 
up  in  some  of  the  other  organizations. 

Something  of  the  present  attitude  of  this  group  may  be  illustrated 
by  quoting  from  a  letter  from  a  Y.  W.  C.  A.  Camp  Director  to  her 
newly  appointed  staff  when  inviting  them  to  a  staff  conference  before 
camp  opening : 

A  staff  can't  sit  in  a  shady  spot  and  make  out  a  program  and  then  expect  to 
have  a  progressive  camp.  .  .  .  If  wc  want  to  get  anywhere  we  must  begin  with 
the  child's  interest  where  it  is,  take  advantage  of  all  unexpected  happenings  and 
develop  them  into  a  larger  plan.  .  .  . 

....  A  camper  will  only  be  happy  if  she  has  made  the  necessary  adjustments 
to  her  tent  mates  and  to  the  camp  program.  It  is  our  job  to  see  that  she  does 
this — to  chat  and  find  wliat  she  likes,  what  she  is  afraid  of,  what  she  most  wants 
to'  do  and  then  to  work  with  her  until  when  she  leaves  .  .  .  she  will  go  with  a 
feeling  that  she  has  succeeded  in  making  friends  and  learned  some  skill  which 
she  had  not  known  before  she  came  to  camp.^ 

This  indicates  that  an  effort  is  being  made  to  carry  the  staff  through 
a  process  of  training  which  should  result  in  a  progressive  camp  pro- 
gram. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  had  an  era  of  standardization  with  a  definitely 
worked  out  academic  program  for  applying  in  mass  fashion,  but  the 
past  decade  has  seen  that  discarded  and  the  Y  leaders  have  been  pioneers 
in  learning  how  to  put  into  practice  the  discoveries  of  modern  educa- 
tional leaders.  Although  there  are  still  some  Y  camp  people  who  know 
only  the  old  and  traditional  approach,  the  new  literature  and  training 
of  the  organization  looks  toward  individual  counseling  and  guidance 
rather  than  a  mass  approach  in  dealing  with  youth.^ 

Another  organization  making  a  definite  contribution  toward  pro- 
gressive camping  is  the  Camp-Fire  Girls.  According  to  their  national 
executive  in  his  message  to  Camp  Directors  (1932) 

Camps  are  friendly  places ;  places  where  the  girls  may  learn  the  meaning  of  the 
word  "comrade"  ;  places  where  the  girls  may  discover  the  out-of-doors  and  each 
other ;  places  for  rest  as  well  as  activities ;  places  where  the  spirit  grows  while 
the  muscles  harden.     Camps  should  be  reservoirs  of  health  and  joy.'** 

In  the  same  bulletin  quoted  above  may  be  found  a  plea  for  the  ex- 
perimental attitude,  on  the  part  of  camp  people : 

Progressive  camp  leader.ship  must  be  creative.  Wc  must  not  be  held  down  by 
recorded  camp  activities  or  approaches  or  equipment  layouts — we  must  realize  that 
there  are  other  and  newer  and  unrecorded,  perhaps  yet  unconceived,  activities, 
approaches  to  be  had  for  the  finding.  Nor  can  we  wait  for  someone  to  record 
them  for  us.     We  must  ourselves  produce  them. 

We  are  too  sure,  it  seems  to  me,  that  we  have  hit  upon  the  ideal  way  of  camp 
procedure.     Camping  is  young  and  we  must  keep  the  experimental  spirit  of  youth. 


'Document  No.  .37. 

*Stone,  Walter  L. ;  A  Camp  Coun.selor's  Manual,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Gi-aduate  School, 
Nashville,   1933. 

"The  Camp  Directors  Bulletin,  Camp   Fire  Girls,   Inc.,    1932. 


Educational  Changes  in  Modirn  Camps  141 

We  must  grow  and  learn  as  we  grow.  .  .  .  Because  it  has  always  hcen  done  in 
camping  is  no  criterion  that  it  should  always  be  so.  With  every  passing  year  we 
find  ourselves  further  in  a  rut  in  any  field,  the  stereotypes  are  more  firmly  fixed; 
zve  hecome  fundamentalists  defending  the  one  and  only  (jrain  of  truth  in  the 
camping  uniTcrse.  .  .  .  We  must  strive  constantly  against  the  forces  that  are  nar- 
rowing. Camping  is  too  young  to  be  in  a  rut.  The  business  of  youth  is  taking 
on  new  experience  and  camping  is  still  in  its  youthful  stage.  Never  settle  down 
within  the  theory  you  have  chosen,  the  course  you  have  embraced ;  know  that 
another  theory,  another  course  exists." 

On  the  whole  the  Cami)-Fire  Girls  organization  is  advancing;  toward 
progressive  ideals  of  camping.  Soine  of  their  camps  have  abolished 
all  types  of  honors  and  awards.  The  national  executive  thinks  they 
are  useful  in  only  the  larger  camps  where  the  camp  directors  seem 
unable  to  cope  with  the  problem  of  numbers  on  the  individual  and  small 
group  basis.  Is  not  this  an  admission  that  the  large  camp  needs  break- 
ing up  into  smaller  units  where  a  mass  approach  would  not  be  necessary, 
rather  than  any  real  justification  for  the  honor  award  system?  An 
excerpt  from  the  report  of  the  large  camp  of  Cleveland.  Ohio,  where 
the  camp  is  organized  into  small  units  is  an  example  within  this  organ- 
ization that  large  camps  can  get  along  with  few  honors  to  be  awarded : 

We  have  no  system  of  honors  at  all.  There  is  tent  inspection  every  morning 
and  if  a  tent  does  not  pass,  they  are  asked  to  leave  their  craft  and  complete  their 
clean-up.  We  have  girls  who  stay  from  two  to  ten  weeks.  My  first  summer  I 
found  girls  saying,  "I'm  going  to  get  a  Yakewi  Honor  the  first  session  and  then 
do  as  I  please  the  next  two  weeks."  Since  we  abolished  all  honors  except  those 
earned  in  Camp  Craft,  Swimming,  Nature,  and  Handicraft  (the  standard  organ- 
ization honors),  we  have  had  not  only  a  happy  camp — but  a  camp  where  every 
camper  knows  that  she  shares  responsibility  for  a  clean,  attractive,  helpful  and 
happy  camp  with  her  tent  mates." 

The  Girl  Scouts  is  another  organization  with  a  national  set  of  stand- 
ards for  girl  achievement,  which  works  well  when  not  emphasized  too 
much  or  too  rigidly  adhered  to.  Here  again  there  are  various  grades 
of  progressive  practices  and  still  some  very  academic  camp  people 
organizing  activities  on  the  basis  of  competition,  prescribed  programs 
and  avrards.  Many  of  the  Girl  Scout  Directors  have  broken  their  camps 
up  into  smaller  units  and  a  large  measure  of  freedom  of  program  is 
allowed  these  units  under  the  guidance  of  their  counselors  and  direc- 
tors. Their  units  of  pioneer  and  primitive  camping  are  among  their 
later  contributions.  These  indicate  a  transition  to  a  progressive  philos- 
ophy of  camping  and  may  be  a  good  approach  to  that  introduction  of 
the  campers  to  the  reality  of  their  camp  environment  which  was  indi- 
cated above  as  one  of  the  goals  rarely  attained,  but  most  desirable. 
In  the  Pioneer  unit  the  girls  do  their  own  cooking  and  run  their  camu 
in  pioneer  fashion,  vvrhile  in  a  primitive  camp  the  girls  do  even  more  — 
select  the  site,  set  up  tents,  build  fireplaces,  latrines,  have  no  permanent 
equipment  whatever. 

Probably  no  other  organization  in  the  camping  field  has  grown  and 
expanded  so  rapidly  as  the  Boy  Scouts;  their  program  was  intended 


"Mason,   Bernard    S. ;    What   Are   Your   Objectives?      Camp    Director's    Bulletin, 
1932. 

"The  Camp  Director's  Bulletin,  Camp  Fire  Girls.  Inc.,  1932.  p.  56. 


142  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

to  be  carried  on  largely  out  of  doors,  and  they  early  took  to  camping. 
Their  early  camping  consisted  in  camping  trips.  A  troop  would  select 
a  site  and  spend  a  week  or  so.  Much  of  it  was  fatiguing  and  unsafe 
and  for  a  time  there  was  a  reaction  against  it  because  of  sickness  or 
injury.  As  the  supervisory  council  organization  grew  and  council  camps 
were  established  to  set  camping  standards  and  to  train  camp  leaders 
Scout  Camps  became  popular.  Many  "scouters"  are  now  carefully 
studying  the  later  educational  theories  and  are  practicing  camp  life  on 
progressive  principles. 

The  following  "Impressions  of  Camp  Life"  were  written  by  a  boy 
who  changed  from  a  city  Council  Camp  run  on  the  academic  plan  to 
a  "Y"  Camp  which  was  attempting  to  work  out  a  progressive  "Boy- 
Centered"  Program. 

IMPRESSIONS  OF  CAMP  LIFE 

My  first  experiences  were  anything  but  pleasant.  My  knowledge  of  the  prac- 
tices and  moronic  practical  jokes  imposed  upon  the  "neophytes"  was  nil,  so  I  was 
an|  easy  prey  to  all  who  wished  to  torment  me.  The  camp  government  was  in 
effect  an  aristocratic  system  with  a  benevolent  but  impersonal  dictator.  Each 
lodge  had  its  lodge  leader,  a  boy  supposedly  the  natural  leader  of  the  group,  but 
in  reality  the  largest  or  most  aggressive.  He  was  not  paid ;  the  position  of  lodge 
leader  was  supposed  to  be  sufficiently  attractive  (because  of  special  privileges). 
In  him  the  power  of  a  king  was  vested;  he  was  the  keeper  of  discipline  in  his 
lodge  and  his  judgment  in  the  manner  of  punishment  was  final.  If  he  wished  to 
punish  by  paddling,  confiscation  of  prized  desserts,  or  deprivation  of  swimming 
privileges,  he  did  so. 

In  many  cases,  probably  due  to  the  immaturity  of  the  leader,  favoritism  was 
very  noticeable.  The  very  program  of  the  camp  was  built  for  the  larger  boys 
and  leaders.  Very  little,  if  any  efifort  was  made  to  develop  the  retiring  boys. 
Since  I  was  small  and  not  particularly  good  at  anything,  I  was  left  out.  Not  big 
enough  or  good  enough  to  play  baseball,  not  strong  enough  or  self-reliant  enough 
to  play  most  of  the  games  where  individual  winners  were  chosen,  I  was  lost  in 
the  shuffle. 

The  next  year  started  ofif  in  a  similar  inauspicious  manner.  Since  I  had  made 
no  imprint  on  the  memories  of  those  who  were  at  camp  the  preceding  year,  I 
was  taken  as  a  "rookie"  many  a  time,  to  my  chagrin.  It  brought  home  the  fact 
that  I  was  insignificant.  The  program  was  nearly  the  same.  Baseball  games  for 
those  who  could  play,  or  who  would  boldly  assert  their  ability  to  play;  games 
requiring  experience,  .stamina,  and  a  self-confidence  and  assertiveness  I  did  not 
have;  a  handicraft  shop  for  those  who  knew  handicraft  and  could  argue  or  brow- 
beat the  smaller  boys  out  of  using  tools. 

The  third  year  was  similar  except  that  now  and  then  there  was  a  person  who 
remembered  me  and  my  spirits  rose.  In  my  own  small  way  I  enjoyed  that  year. 
My  swimming  had  improved  until  I  was  proud  of  it,  and  in  addition,  I  could  now 
shoot  the  bow  and  arrow  somewhat.  I  enjoyed  camp  because  I  felt  that  I  was 
now  an  individual.  Really,  I  think  that  I  was  about  the  same  but  my  mental 
attitude  had  changed. 

The  next  summer  I  was  offered  a  chance  to  go  to  a  rival  camp  as  an  adviser 
in  archery.  At  first  the  idea  of  camping  for  eight  weeks  repelled  me ;  for  none 
of  my  other  ventures  had  been  for  longer  than  three  weeks. 

I  finally  decided  to  accept  the  offer.  Upon  my  arrival  at  the  camp  I  found  an 
entirely  new  system.  At  first  I  felt  that  I  was  more  out  of  place  than  ever  but 
gradually  the  realization  came  that  instead  of  competition  with  others,  competition 
with  one's  self  for  improvement  was  the  spirit.     Having  very  few  responsibilities 


Educational  Changes  in  Modern  Camps  143 

and  an  assured  place  in  the  camp,  my  self-respect  and  propfirtioiially  my  enjoyment 
increased.  I  think  that  before  or  since  I  have  never  so  thor(jugiily  enjoyed  life 
and  living  as  I  did  those  short  seven  weeks. 

Where  the  very  basis  of  the  program  was  aid  to  the  weak  ratiicr  than  pleasure 
for  the  strong,  I  was  in  my  element.  This  camp  system  was  the  antithesis  of  the 
other.  The  leadership  had  behind  it  what  I  believed  to  be  the  right  idea.  The 
cabin  counselor's  place  was  that  of  the  helper  and  adviser  of  the  boys,  not  a  far 
removed  autocrat. 

The  three  succeeding  years  at  camp  were  spent  under  this  system  of  educational 
programs  with  the  leaders  trying  to  reach  every  individual.  While  my  own  part 
in  the  camp  activities  was  small  I  enjoyed  working  with  the  boys  and  I'll  continue 
as  long  as  I  can.  My  camping  experiences  have  furnished  mc  with  the  most 
enjoyable  times  of  my  life." 

Despite  the  fact  that  the  Boy  Scout  Program  has  been  conservative 
and  academic,  it  has  now  an  active  research  department  and  should 
become  a  progressive  force.  The  leaders  of  the  Boy  Scout  movement 
are  aware  that  while  making  all  efTort  possible  to  cover  the  territory 
properly  with  their  program,  there  was  failure  to  keep  pace  with  chang- 
ing educational  practice.  This  is  one  of  the  signs  looking  toward  pro- 
gress and  change  in  the  camping  movement. 

The  following  excerpts  from  the  1931  annual  report  indicates  that 
the  Scout  movement  will  not  be  satisfied  with  any  program  which  they 
feel  could  be  improved  upon. 

While  scouting  in  America  has  a  fuller,  wider,  and  more  definite  knowledge 
of  itself,  statistically,  than  in  any  other  country,  the  facts  are  largely  those  which 
relate  to  volume  and  registration  and  tenure  and  related  factors.  Investigations 
have  been  few  concerning  boy  needs,  boy  interests,  program  content,  program 
operation,  results  achieved.  Perhaps  this  is  natural  and  to  be  expected.  The 
emphasis  during  these  first  two  decades  has  been  largely  on  expansion,  covering 
the  field  or  organization  financial  struggles — the  program  was  taken  for  granted. .  . . 

So  rapid'  has  been  the  advancement  in  educational  theory  that  it  is  important 
that  we  validate  our  whole  approach  to  our  work.  Education  is  now  seen  not  as 
a  formal  training  process  imposed  upon  the  individual  from  ivithout,  hut  rather  as 
a  process  of  inner  grozvth  in  n'hich  the  individual  reacts  to,  interprets,  discovers 
value  in  and  selectively  evaluates  the  experiences  out  of  which  he  is  learning. 
The  individual  we  now  see  is  not  a  passive  recipient  of  information  or  fixed 
training,  but  rather  is  a  person,  a  personality  adjusting  himself  to  life,  sharing 
personal  and  race  experience  with  his  leaders  who  are  not  commanders  but  com- 
panions. Education  thus  becomes  not  something  done  to  the  boy  as  much  as  some- 
thing done  by  the  boy.  Our  problem,  then,  is  not  to  do  things  for  or  to  boys,  but 
rather  to  encourage  and  facilitate  them  to  do  things  for  themselves. 

This  is  but  one  example  of  important  modern  principles  with  which  the  move- 
ment must  be  attuned  in  its  practice.  ...  If  character  can  be  formally  indoctrin- 
ated, then  we  might  do  certain  things;  but  if  character  is  a  growth,  then  our 
procedure  is  profoundly  different.  .  .  .  The  movement  has  a  heavy  responsibility 
to  be  certain  that  what  it  does  or  encourages  shall  not  only  be  valid  but  that  it 


"Document  No.  38.  The  above  autobiographical  sketch  written  by  a  University 
of  Pennsylvania  freshman,  shows  how  the  academic  type  of  camp  tended  to  overlook 
individual  problems,  and  so  miss  its  greatest  opportunities  for  usefulne.s^.  The 
Directors  of  this  same  Scout  Camp  have  since  learned  progressive  camp  philosophy 
and  their  camp  has  changed  accordingly. 


144  Organized  Cam-ping  and  Progressive  Education 

shall  be  the  best  of  which  we  and  our  scientific  advisers  are  capable.     Anjlhing 
less  is  unfair  to  boyhood." 

With  the  Boy  Scout  movement  planning  thus  to  shift  its  base  from 
a  formal  and  academic  type  of  program  into  line  with  a  set  of  progres- 
sive principles  being  worked  out  through  modern  research  in  the  field 
of  educational  theory  and  practice,  a  new  day  for  Scouting  is  on  the 
way.  There  will  be  many  of  the  old  "fundamentalists"  of  the  Scout 
movement,  who  will  be  unable  to  make  the  transition,  but  the  leaders 
wtio  are  capable  of  change  and  learning  and  growth  are  ready  to  pull 
the  movement  out  of  its  rut  and  progress  will  be  made. 

Not  only  are  the  various  organization  leaders  learning  from  our 
modern  educational  philosophers  and  carrying  on  research  to  test  their 
theories  in  regard  to  camping  and  other  leisure  time  program  possibil- 
ities, but  the  Camp  Directors'  Association  is  becoming  active  in  research 
and  exploring  the  opportunities  of  the  profession.  A  committee  from 
the  New  York  section  reporting  to  the  National  C.  D.  A.  A.  Conven- 
tion in  1932  stated  that  Camp  Directors  were  not  ready  to  accept  any 
conclusions  as  finaP^ : 

We  have  not  had  the  advantage  of  the  other  professions  of  years  of  study 
focused  directly  upon  our  problems.  We  have,  however,  the  opportunity  of  a  fresh 
start,  unhampered  by  the  tradition  of  a  bygone  generation.  .  .  . 

We  are  aware  that  progress  depends  largely  upon  variation  and  experimenta- 
tion and  we  wish  camping  to  be  forever  free  from  the  standardization  which  is 
the  besetting  disease  of  modern  institutional  life. 

The  concept  of  education  which  we  accept  as  a  basis  for  this  report  is  of  .i 
continuing  process  whereby  the  individual  is  led  on  by  interest  from  one  expe- 
rience to  another  in  such'  a  way  that  he  acquires  the  knowledge,  skills,  habits  and 
appreciations  which  will  mean  the  greatest  enrichment  of  his  life.  But  more  than 
that,  education  must  so  develop  the  individual  that  he,  shall  be  able  to  adjust  to 
the  social  order  in  which  he  must  live  and  operate.  .  .  . 

This  camp  (one  that  makes  the  largest  contribution  to  the  emotional  integration 
of  its  campers)  will  be  pervaded  by  a  sense  of  serenity  which  is  based  on  the 
general  goodwill  and  confidence  among  the  staff  and  campers. 

Daily  each  camper  will  have  freedom  within  broad  limits  to  select  activities 
and  t'o  do  what  he  wants  to  do  without  explaining  why  or  satisfying  adult  re- 
quirements with  the  execution  of  his  project.  In  order  that  children  should 
develop  self-respect  based  on  real  worth  to  their  community,  each  camper  will 
have  regular  chores  or  otherwise  participate  in  the  necessary  work  of  the  camp. 
He  will  feel  successful  and  be  aware  that  his  fellows  appreciate  his  service. 

This  camp  will  have  a  simple  program  which  does  not  urge  campers  to  make 
showy  articles,  excel  comrades,  make  records'  or  defeat  other  camps.  .  .  . 

There  is  a  form  of  organization  commonly  used  in  camp  which  divides  the 
children  into  the  "Reds"  and  the  "Blues"  and  maintains  a  competition  between 
these  teams  through  much  of  the  season,  extending  into  many  fields  of  activity. 
The  subtle  coercion  of  this  plan  is  often  far  more  compelling  than  the  leaders 
realize.  To  a  large  degree  it  precludes  the  deepest  self-expression  gained  by 
acting  on  the  individual  impulse  and  creative  urge.  It  generates  a  false  drive  that 
leads  to  anxiety,  a  sense  of  failure  and  the  division  of  attention  between  the 
apparent  pursuit  and  the  artificial  reward.     It  prevents  the  camp  and  the  camper 


"Hurt,  H.  W.;  Director  Research  Service,  22d  annual  report.  B.  S.  A.,  1931, 
p.  110. 

"The  place  of  the  Organized  Camp  in  the  P'ield  of  Education  ;  Report  of  N.  Y. 
Sec.  Committee  to  C.  D.  A.  A.  National  Convention,  1932. 


Education jI  Changes  in  Modern  Camps  145 

from  finding  out  what  the  latter  really  wants  to  do.  This  imposition  by  camps 
of  ready-made  incentives  raises  the  greatest  barrier  to  sound  emotional  growth 
in  the  camper.  .  .  . 

In  the  hands  of  leaders  whose  underlying  purpose  is  the  guidance  of  children 
toward  more  effective  living  the  camp  will  be  a  potent  influence.  Let  these  lead- 
ers be  well  balanced  adults  who  find  in  the  different  phases  of  camp  life  some- 
thing of  intrinsic  worth,  people  who  will  fire  the  campers  with  their  own  genuine 
enthusiasm,  thus  making  unnecessary  a  stereotyped  program  and  the  false  stimuli 
of  tangible  rewards. 

In  setting  up  such  objectives  this  committee  has  rendered  a  real 
service  to  the  camping  movement.  This  is  but  another  evidence  that 
the  progressive  educational  theories  have  attained  an  important  place 
among  camp  directors  and  that  growth  in  that  direction  may  be  confi- 
dently predicted. 

The  following  paragraphs  give  in  perspective  a  summary  of  the 
relation  of  camping  to  educational  practice : 

The  fundamental  principle  involved  at  first  in  camping  was  that  of  recreation. 
.  .  .  The  first  camps  were  started  on  a  very  informal  basis.  As  camps  became 
better  known  and  understood  they  grew  larger.  When  problems  of  organization 
arose  the  camp  took  on  the  aspect  of  a  school  in  the  open.  Activity  periods  were 
set  and  campers  signed  up  for  certain  activities.  Team  sports  and  athletics  were 
taken  over  from  the  school  program  with  little  effort  at  adaptation  to  the  camp 
situation;  along  with  this  came  award  and  reward  problem,  one  of  the  most  mooted 
questions  among  groups  of   leaders  today. 

The  present  fundamental  principle  is  education,  but  education  in  a  broader  and 
more  inclusive  sense  than  we  ordinarily  conceive  it.  It  is  education  which  is 
pleasurable,  informal,  wholesome,  and  a  complement  to  the  environment  and 
breadth  of  activity  possible  in  school. 

....  The  present-day  tendency  in  camping  is  away  from  large  groups,  highly 
organized  programs,  a  set  and  definite  time  schedule,  much  competition,  and  elab- 
orate systems  of  awards  and  honors.  The  pendulum  is  swinging  back  to  the 
early  camps  with  their  informal,  natural  "camp"'  methods." 

Yes,  camps  are  regaining  much  of  their  infonnality  and  to  this  ex- 
tent are  finding  some  of  the  good  qualities  they  lost  as  camping  grew, 
but  with  this  return  to  informal  programs  there  will  be  so  much  better 
understanding  of  the  purposes  and  objectives,  as  well  as  the  methods 
that  the  future  camps  should  be  able  to  avoid  many  of  the  mistakes 
that  w^ere  made  in  the  earlier  period. 


"Counselor's    Handbook;     Gold    HgIIow    Camp    by    Verrel     Weber,     Publi.<:hed 
by  Mills  College,  1930. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

PROBLEMS  AND  LAGS  OF  ORGANIZED  CAMPING 

Since  the  Camping  Movement  has  been  making  a  transition  from 
recreational  and  physical  educational  types  of  program  to  the  more 
comprehensive  objectives  of  personality  enrichment,  serious-minded 
camp  directors  are  faced  with  an  ever  widening  range  of  problems. 
In  addition  to  those  questions  of  procedure  and  administration  within 
their  own  camps  some  leaders  are  seeing  the  larger  problems  of  the 
camping  movement. 

How  Organize  thk  Camping  Movement 

Perhaps  the  most  baffling  problem  is  that  of  providing  this  diver- 
sified movement,  which  has  "just  grown  up"  in  independent  units,  with 
a  central  co-operative  and  co-ordinating  organization.  From  the  be- 
ginning camp  directors  have  been  independent  individuals,  and,  like 
farmers,  each  has  worked  hard  at  his  own  particular  place  in  the  in- 
dustry without  finding  a  way  to  benefit  through  co-operative  efforts. 

Although  one  Camp  Directors'  Association  dates  back  to  1910,  no 
camping  organization  has  secured  participation  and  support  from  any 
large  percentage  of  the  camping  people.  The  Camp  Directors'  Asso- 
ciation seemed  to  some  people  to  be  organized  as  a  sort  of  accrediting 
agency  since  membership  was  open  only  to  those  who  met  certain  re- 
quirements— a  sort  of  aristocracy  of  camping.  Then,  too,  while  the 
C.  D.  A.  A.  enrolled  a  fair  percentage  of  the  private  and  independent 
camp  directors  there  were  many  organizational  camp  people  who  were 
satisfied  with  membership  within  their  own  organizations.  Nor  have 
members  of  the  Camp  Directors'  Association  of  America  been  able  to 
agree  among  themselves  as  to  its  proper  place  and  function  in  relation 
to  the  camping  movement. 

A  participant  in  the  National  C.  D.  A.  A.  Convention  of  1932  writes 
of  its  significance  as  "potential  rather  than  actual." 

Emphasis  upon  standards,  public  relations,  securing  prestige  for  the  C.  D.  A.  A., 
making  it  hard  for  members  to  get  in,  and  in  other  ways  using  an  organization 
of  camping  to  boost  the  reputation  and  good  name  of  camping  for  its  marketing 
as  well  as  professional  status  calls  for  one  kind  of  structure,  membership  basis, 
activities,  and  conference. 

Emphasis  upon  the  growing  points  of  camping,  self-criticism,  examination  of 
each  other's  techniques,  cooperative  experimentation  and  research,  in  other  words, 
using  an  organization  of  camping  to  accelerate  its  climb  toward  more  effectiveness, 
calls  for  another  kind  of  structure,  basis  of  membership,  activities,  and  conference.^ 

Mr.  Sorensen  seems  to  have  sensed  the  real  point  at  issue;  whether 
the  organization  shall  function  narrowly  for  the  benefit  of  its  own  mem- 


'Sorenson,  Roy;  Association  Boys  Work  Journal,  May,  1932,  p.  22. 

146 


Problems  and  La^s  of  Organize  J  Camping  147 

bership  like  a  trade  union,  or  whether  it  shall  function  for  the  entire 
movement  as  a  servant  of  society  much  as  a  research  foundation.  Why 
not  try  organizing  the  people  who  are  vitally  interested  in  camping 
both  by  special  types  of  camping  and  by  regions?  For  example,  there 
could  be  a  Southern  Section  of  the  Camping  Association  composed  of 
all  the  people  interested  in  camping  in  the  area  or  region,  even  though 
each  person  might  also  be  a  member  of  some  special  group  interestefl 
primarily  in  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Boy  Scout,  Four-H  Club,  Private,  or  some 
other  type  of  camping.  Could  not  such  Co-operative  regional  Camping 
Associations  form  a  representative  National  Camping  Association  capa- 
ble of  carrying  on  co-operatively  the  research  and  experimentation 
which  are  necessary  to  solve  many  problems  of  the  camping  move- 
ment? 

The  Southern  Section  of  the  C.  D.  A.  although  organized  on  a  much 
less  inclusive  basis  than  that  suggested  has  done  much  to  aid  its  member 
camps  in  accelerating  the  climb  toward  more  effectiveness  through  co- 
operative efTorts.  It  has  sponsored  and  underwritten  an  Annual  Camp 
Counselors'  Training  Institute  at  Blue  Ridge,  North  Carolina,  for  three 
years  and  it  is  sponsoring  "The  Behavior  Change  Inquiry  in  Southern 
Camps,"  a  five  year  research  project,  both,  in  co-operation  with  mem- 
bers of  the  Faculty  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Graduate  School.  These  valua- 
ble co-operative  projects  point  the  way  to  solve  many  camping  prob- 
lems if  the  larger  co-operative  organizational  scheme  can  be  effected. 
Problems  discussed  below  illustrate  the  lags  of  the  movement  without 
this  co-operative  organization. 

Creative  Supervision 

As  a  group  of  Southern  camp  directors  have  entered  upon  The 
Behavior  Change  Inquiry  and  secured  the  services  of  a  competent  re- 
search man  to  direct  it,  why  may  not  area  camping  associations  provide 
for  creative  supervision  of  their  various  enterprises?  A  whole  series 
of  problems  relating  to  standards  and  evaluation  of  camps  could  be 
solved  by  securing  a  creative  supervisor,  without  any  mechanical  stand- 
ardization but  in  a  way  to  increase  initiative,  variation,  and  creative 
experience  in  each  camp. 

Whenever  camp  directors  have  proposed  to  work  out  standards  for 
the  evaluation  of  camps  and  camp  programs  they  have  confronted  these 
puzzling  questions :  "Whose  standards  ?"  and  "Who  is  to  do  the  evalu- 
ating?" Instead  of  setting  up  evaluating  boards  to  make  inspections, 
accrediting  this  camp  because  it  measures  up,  but  refusing  to  "approve" 
that  camp  because  of  some  deficiency,  why  not  secure  the  services  of  a 
competent  supervisor  for  the  area  whose  function  would  be,  not  to 
inspect,  judge,  and  criticize  the  camps,  but  to  work  with  each  of  them 
to  improve  their  techniques  and  to  better  accomplish  their  purposes. 
He  could  confer  with  the  directors  and  personnel  of  the  different  camps 
in  a  way  to  lead  them  to  continuously  raise  their  standards  of  their 
own  achievement.     This  kind  of  creative  supervision  would  be  passed 


148  Organized  Cam-ping  and  Progressive  Education 

on  by  the  directors  in  their  supervision  of  counselors  and  campers, 
and  would  provide  the  best  possible  training  for  the  counselors  on  their 
jobs. 

Counselor  Training 

The  next  problem  of  camping  would  then  be  in  line  for  solution — 
the  selection  and  training  of  the  camp  counselor  staff.  When  purposes 
were  mainly  recreation  and  physical  activity,  camp  directors  chose  as 
counselors  young  athletes;  then  with  increased  diversification  of  activ- 
ities specialists  in  the  activities  were  sought  as  counselors,  since  accept- 
ing the  broad  implication  of  camping  as  development  of  the  whole  per- 
sonality of  the  campers,  counselors  must  become  personality  specialists 
as  well.  Too  often  the  mind  of  the  activity  specialist  is  so  centered 
upon  the  success  of  his  activity  that  he  loses  sight  of  what  is  happening 
to  the  campers. 

Uncoordinated  specialties  are  among  the  many  reasons  for  educational  failures. 
If  everyone  who  is  a  specialist  in  one  camp  subject,  is  a  good  generalist  in  several 
more,  and  can  turn  his  hand  to  almost  anything  in  a  pinch,  you  may  be  sure  that 
everything  is  going  to  move  along  satisfactorily.'' 

Only  definite  training  and  experience  under  creative  supervision  can 
provide  successful  camp  personnel.  Colleges  and  Universities  alone 
are  not  giving,  and  perhaps  cannot  fully  give,  this  training.  Camping 
must  provide  it  for  itself,  or,  better  still,  be  prepared  to  enlist  the  help 
of  the  most  camp-minded  faculty  people  in  institutions  of  higher  learn- 
ing to  provide  it  co-operatively. 

The  present  demand  for  counselors  trained  in  handling  problems 
of  personality  growth  and  adjustment  has  resutled  from  the  applica- 
tion to  camping  of  sociology,  mental  hygiene,  gestalt  psychology  and 
a  voluntaristic  jihilosophy.  Dr.  J.  Edward  Sanders  of  Colgate  Univer- 
sity said  in  1932 : 

At  present  there  is  no  source  to  which  directors  can  turn  for  leaders  already 
trained  and  few  camps  can  hold  leaders  long  enough  to  give  them  adequate  train- 
ing themselves.  At  present  few  camp  directors  would  seem  competent  to  do 
their  own  program  of  training.  .  .  .  The  breadth  of  technical  knowledge  needed 
by  a  director  exceeds  that  of  almost  any  other  person  in  the  field  of  education  or 
social  work. 

....  The  difficulty  here  arises  from  the  fact  that  every  staff  member  should 
know  something  of  the  way  personality  grows,  of  the  ways  in  whicli  it  becomes 
bent  and  twisted,  of  the  process  of  social  and  emotional  re-education.' 

Most  of  the  courses  listed  under  camping  in  present  college  curricula 
are  rather  technical,  with  an  academic  method,  conducted  by  physical 
education  departments.  Many  institutions  are  offering  good  courses 
in  their  social  science  departments,  but  camp  people  need  guidance  in 
selecting  them  since  one  may  not  be  able  to  judge  the  most  helpful 
ones  from  their  listings  in  the  catalogues.     Much  of  the  most  practical 


''Pulling,  Albert  Van  Side  ;  The  Value  of  Trips  in  Camp  Education ;  Camping 
Magazine,  Vol.  VI,  No.  1,  January,  1934,  p.  14. 

'Sander.s,  J.  Edward;  Camping  Problems;  Camp  Director's  Bulletin,  1932, 
Camp  Fire  Girls,  Inc.,  p.  26. 


Problems  and  Lags  of  Organized  Camping  149' 

help  for  both  directors  and  counsejors  is  probably  I)eing  derived  from 
such  short  seminars  and  institutes  as  the  three-day  Seminars  for  camj) 
directors  conducted  since  1930  by  the  George  Williams  College  of 
Chicago,  and  the  annual  ten-day  Camp  Counselors'  Institutes  C()n(lucti<I 
since  1932  at  Blue  Ridge.  North  Carolina,  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Graduate 
School  in  co-operation  with  the  Southern  Section  of  the  C.  D.  A.  A/ 
Organization  of  such  Institutes  for  Counselor  Training  could  Ix?  a  func- 
tion of  Area  Camping  Supervisors,  suggested  earlier  in  the  chapter. 

How  Select  Camp  Counselors? 

Business  has  learned  that  certain  personality  tests  help  to  explain 
why  certain  employees  failed  to  make  good  in  one  kind  of  job  while 
succeeding  admirably  at  another.  Use  of  such  tests  to  fill  jobs  with 
those  who  had  a  maximum  chance  to  succeed  has  meant  an  increase 
in  efficiency  and  a  financial  gain.  Unfortunately  in  camping  such  a 
large  number  of  qualities  are  involved  it  is  most  difficult  to  work  out 
any  series  of  tests  adequate  for  determining  the  relative  chances  for 
success  as  camp  counselors.  Nevertheless  it  is  most  important  to  de- 
termine, in  advance  if  possible,  which  applicants  for  camp  counselor- 
ship  will  be  successful ;  for  greater  values  are  at  stake  in  these  personal 
situations  than  in  places  of  business  where  failure  means  only  delay 
and  financial  loss. 

This  is  in  agreement  with  the  conclusions  from  one  of  the  earlier 
studies  of  camping  made  by  Dr.  Goodwin  Watson : 

The  camps  which  produce  the  best  results  are  camps  with  a  high  degree  of 
democratic  participation  on  the  part  of  the  boys,  an  unusual  amount  of  equipment, 
a  thorough-going  system  for  reaching  each  boy,  and  unusiiaUx  expert  and  i\.-cU- 
trained  leaderships 

In  1930  the  author  as  director  of  one  of  20  co-operating  camps 
participated  in  a  study  of  the  counselors  employed.  Of  260  counselors 
studied,  25%  proved  to  be  very  poor  leaders.  It  was  found  from  a 
study  of  the  behavior  changes  of  the  campers  that  as  much  negative 
change  took  place  in  the  groups  under  the  leadership  of  the  weak  coun- 
selors as  positive  change  under  the  best  grade  of  counselors.  The  tests 
which  did  not  prove  significant  selectors  of  good  counselors  were  dis- 
carded and  the  others  were  formed  into  a  new  device  for  aiding  selec- 
tion and  for  predicting  the  chances  of  successful  performance. 

This  revised  form  was  used  as  an  application  blank  by  eight  camps 
which  continued  the  study  in  1931  and  the  selection  based  upon  it  raised 
the  number  of  highest  grade  counselors  from  20.5%  in  1930  to  34% 
in  1931  and  completely  eliminated  the  lowest  grade  counselors  from 
some  camps.  Real  progress  was  made,  but  the  research  around  this 
problem  should  be  continued  in  order  to  learn  better  how  to  select  camp 
leadership  and  how  to  release  a  counselor's  best  powers. 


^Described  more  fully  in  the  next  Chapter. 

"Watson,  Dr.  Goodwin  B. ;  Some  Accomplishments  in  Summer  Camps,  1928,  p.  27. 


150  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

Here  is  an  interesting  statement  from  one  of  the  men  who  took  a 
leading  part  in  making  this  study : 

It  seems  quite  clear  that  leadership  is  a  function  of  factors  and  forces  operat- 
ing in  the  total  situation  rather  than  something  that  can  be  isolated  within  the 
personality  of  the  individual.  Leadership  has  at  least  three  dimensions — the  indi- 
vidual, the  group,  and  the  social  situation — each  of  which  must  be  adequately 
taken  into  account.  A  particular  counselor  may  have  a  very  high  grade  of  in- 
telligence and  yet  prove  a  failure  because  his  immediate  supervisor,  or  the  camp 
director,  has  an  inferior  intelligence.  The  success  or  failure  of  this  particular 
counselor  becomes  a  question  determined  by  the  interaction  between  the  counselor 
and  the  supervisor.  If  this  relationship  is  mutually  helpful,  success  probably 
would  result ;  if  on  the  other  hand  the  discrepancy  in  their  abilities  should  result 
in  a  clash  in  personalities  the  success  of  the  counselor  would  be  definitely 
jeopardized.' 

These  experiments  and  studies  have  somewhat  delimited  the  field 
by  determining  which  approaches  are  unfruitful,  but  real  achievement 
lies  ahead.  If  such  results  can  be  obtained  with  so  limited  an  adventure 
in  co-operative  effort,  what  might  be  accomplished  with  a  full  measure 
of  continuous  co-operative  research  upon  the  problems  of  camping? 

Cost  Accounting 

Another  series  of  problems  causing  camp  people  constant  trouble 
relates  to  finance,  recruiting,  and  public  relations.  Although  not  so 
recognized  the  real  storm  center  of  the  group  is  finance.  The  question 
has  well  been  raised :  "Will  it  be  possible  for  a  summer  camp  to 
operate  as  a  business  undertaking,  requiring  a  profit,  and  at  the  same 
time  be  conducted  as  a  thoroughly  educative  enterprise?"^  It  does 
not  look  reasonable  to  expect  camps  to  operate  educationally  upon 
tuition  fees  alone  with  a  greater  degree  of  success  than  schools  have 
been  able  to  do. 

This  question  of  finance  has  been  complicated  by  the  variety  of 
camping  experiences  oflfered  and  by  the  wide  range  of  fees  charged. 
There  is  reason  for  the  public  to  be  confused.  They  see  enough  money 
charged  by  some  camps  for  one  week  to  pay  the  fees  for  four  campers 
in  some  other  camp.  When  asked  to  explain  these  differences  camp 
people  have  answered  somewhat  incoherently  to  the  general  effect  that 
some  camps  are  better  than  others,  or  that  some  are  more  or  less  sup- 
ported by  the  coinmunities  through  their  organizations.  Very  few  camp 
directors  have  established  cost  accounting  systems  adequate  to  show 
just  what  it  costs  per  camper-week  to  maintain  and  operate  their  camps, 
and  to  point  out  the  items  of  expense  which  go  to  make  up  these 
amounts.  Camp  patrons  would  appreciate  such  an  understanding  of 
camp  business  administration,  and  a  camp  director  who  shares  these 
facts  with  his  patrons  will  dispel  their  doubts  as  to  whether  they  are 
getting  the  worth  of  their  money  ;  they  will  know  how  it  is  spent. 

For  the  same  reason  the  general  public  in  any  community  will  more 


"Hendry,  C.  E.  ;  The  Study  of  Counselors  in  the  Summer  Camp;  Association  Boys 
Work  Journal,  May.   1932.  p.    12. 

'Dimock  and   Hendry;  Camping  and  Character,   p.   332. 


Problems  and  Lags  of  Organized  Camping  151 

readily  give  financial  support  to  its  organizational  cain])s  if  the  facts 
gleaned  from  a  definite  cost  accounting  system  are  nvailahlc  to  prove 
the  necessity  of  the  funds  solicited.  No  particular  cost  accounting  plan 
is  oflfered,  since  there  will  he  some  variation  for  different  types  of  camp- 
ing; a  co-operative  organization  can  make  them  function  most  eflfec- 
tively  for  the  movement. 

Just  as  cost  accounting  statistics  have  led  the  public  to  expect  a 
less  valuable  educational  result  in  those  school  systems  where  the  unit 
instruction  cost  per  pupil  is  very  low.  so  with  camping ;  when  the 
public  can  see  that  the  per  camper-week  expenditure  for  leadership 
is  very  low  their  expectation  of  educational  results  will  be  modified 
accordingly.  This  should  form  an  effective  basis  for  appeal  when 
organization  camps  find  it  necessary  to  solicit  funds  to  supplement  the 
meagre  fees  which  their  members  are  able  to  pay.  In  far  too  many 
cases  these  organizational  camps  have  concealed  the  true  facts  and  have 
continued  to  operate  without  the  trained  leadership  they  needed  because 
it  was  more  expensive. 

This  is  not  a  question  for  competition  between  private  and  organi- 
zational camps.  The  advantages  and  limitations  of  each  must  be 
recognized.  More  money  must  be  made  available  for  the  organiza- 
tional camps  if  worthy  educational  results  are  to  be  obtained.  Through 
cost  accounting  this  can  be  made  plain  to  the  public,  for  although  there 
are  many  other  means  of  evaluation,  cost  accounting  is  one  of  the 
quickest,  the  most  definite,  and  the  least  difficult  to  apply. 

Public  Relations 

Dr.  Sanders  in  discussing  the  problems  of  organized  camping  rec- 
ognizes the  difficulty  the  public  has  in  "securing  a  fair,  yet  objective, 
evaluation  of  the  work  of  individual  camps" : 

At  present  we  have  no  such  evaluations ;  parents  have  almost  no  way  to  secure 
it.  Consequently  we  have  the  poor  continuing  year  after  year  because  of  superior 
salesmanship  of  their  owners  and  some  of  the  better  ones  in  difficulty  because 
their  directors  spend  time  with  problems  of  education  rather  than  salesmanship." 

Members  of  the  C.  D.  A.  A.  have  sensed  this  problem  of  salesman- 
ship as  they  came  into  competition  with  inferior  camps  posing  as  the 
very  best.  They  have  attempted  to  deal  with  it  by  setting  up  standards 
for  "approved"  camps  and  machinery  for  giving  this  approval.  They 
have  established  codes  of  ethics  for  the  profession  of  camp  director 
in  a  further  effort  to  raise  the  standards  for  "approved"  camps.  Of 
course  they  have  refused  to  approve  the  inferior  camps  which  do  not 
come  up  to  their  standard,  but  their  only  means  of  bringing  this  fact 
to  the  attention  of  parents  or  the  public  has  been  through  co-operative 
advertising  for  the  "approved"  camp  group,  ignoring  the  inferior  camps 
by  leaving  them  off  their  list. 

'Sanders,  J.  Edward;  Camping  Problems;  Bulletin  for  Camp  Directors,  Camp 
Fire  Girls,  Inc.,  1932.  p.  9. 


152  Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

Despite  such  measures  this  problem  will  continue  to  exist  until 
through  research  and  creative  supervision  better  criteria  for  judging 
camps  are  determined.  As  has  Ijeen  suggested  above  a  quick  first 
step  in  this  direction  might  be  found  in  the  use  of  cost  accounting  sys- 
tems. When  the  findings  of  research  have  determined  how  to  evaluate 
the  quality  of  a  camp,  those  who  wish  to  present  camping  to  the  public 
must  still  find  ways  to  interest  parents  in  learning  how  to  apply  the 
standards  in  selecting  camps. 

Principal  methods  of  advertising  camp  and  soliciting  campers  in- 
clude personal  solicitation  by  directors,  counselors,  campers,  parents  or 
other  representatives ;  direct  by  mail  materials,  including  camp  book- 
lets, letters,  and  printed  matter ;  rotogravures  and  news  stories  in  news- 
papers ;  Sargent's  Handbooks  of  Summer  Camps  with  the  service  of- 
fered to  parents  in  aiding  their  investigation  and  selection ;  and  the 
growing  camp  advertising  sections  of  magazines.  Apparently  most 
camps  spend  much  of  their  publicity  budget  in  the  "direct  by  mail" 
method.  Organizational  camp  people  have  learned  in  a  few  cities  that 
by  using  a  plan  of  co-operative  publicity  camping  came  to  be  better 
understood ;  and  each  of  them  had  larger  enrollments  than  when  they 
handled  their  publicity  campaigns  separately.  Short  letters  with  direct 
and  to  the  point  materials  about  camping  to  a  selected  mailing  list  was 
found  effective.  Posters  carrying  announcements  and  picture  material 
for  each  of  the  organization  camps  were  widely  scattered  about  the 
city.  Printed  materials  and  lists  of  people  qualified  to  discuss  camping 
were  prepared  for  P.  T.  A.  groups  and  mothers'  clubs. 

Many  private  camps  issue  rather  elaborate  and  expensive  camp  book- 
lets. Apparently  each  of  these  camp  directors  feels  that  he  is  getting 
out  a  piece  of  publicity  that  is  distinctive  and  unique.  The  author  has 
experienced  this  feeling  when  as  a  camp  director  he  had  the  responsi- 
bility for  camp  promotion.  A  recent  experience  in  making  a  careful 
study  of  the  booklets  from  a  hundred  camps  has  convinced  him  that 
much  of  this  material  is  a  waste  of  printing — an  excessive  expense. 
He  has  attended  C.  D.  A.  A.  meetings  and  heard  camp  directors  com- 
plain about  how  little  parents  have  been  found  to  have  read  their  book- 
lets ;  follow-up  of  a  direct  by  mail  campaign  has  strengthened  this  con- 
viction. 

If  camp  directors  would  attempt  to  read  a  hundred  different  camp 
booklets,  many  of  them  would  change  their  advertising  methods.  These 
descriptions  which  bring  pictures  to  the  minds  of  the  directors  who 
write  them  do  not  carry  over  to  prospective  campers,  and  their  parents. 
Parents  who  have  been  bombarded  by  mail  by  half  a  dozen  camps  have 
not  had  camping  presented  to  them  effectively. 

Practically  all  these  booklets  describe  the  camps  in  detail :  location, 
site,  equipment,  stafif,  age  groupings  (three  groups),  daily  plan,  coun- 
selor qualifications,  camp  organization,  food,  safety  and  health  precau- 
tions, various  activities,  transportation,  expenses,  what  to  bring,  refer- 
ences, visitors.  Some  of  them  describe  honor  and  award  systems  and 
publish  names  of  winners  for  the  previous  year;  some  put  in  a  few 


Problems  and  Lags  of  Organized  Camping  I53 

paragraphs  on  camping  philosophy,  and  objectives ;  sonic  list  tntoring 
possibilities.  Even  in  the  range  of  activities  offered  there  is  seldom 
anything  so  distinctive  that  it  is  worth  space  in  the  camp  booklet  for 
a  lull  description.  The  majority  of  camps  otTer  nearly  the  same  range 
of  activities  to  choose  from. 

Not  only  is  this  big  piece  of  i)rinting  a  useless  drain  on  the  budget, 
but  it  may  cause  parents  to  postpone  or  neglect  reading  anything  con- 
nected with  camping.  Interest  must  be  aroused  before  informational 
material,  however  worth  while,  can  get  attention.  Even  boys  or  girls 
read  this  material  only  after  they  have  become  interested  in  camping. 
Much  of  the  material  is  worded  for  parents,  anyway. 

Camp  booklets  in  their  present  form  have  apparently  been  devel- 
oped by  a  group  of  individualist  camp  directors,  each  of  whom  has 
tried  to  give  a  complete  description  of  the  camp  which  is  so  charming 
to  him  that  he  believes  his  booklet  will  win  its  way  to  the  hearts  of 
campers  and  parents  and  prove  irresistible;  each  feels  that  he  must 
issue  a  better  booklet  than  other  camps  in  order  to  win  out  in  com- 
petition. 

One  of  the  booklets  stood  out  from  the  other  99,  which  sent  printed 
materials.  It  is  a  simple,  dignified  little  booklet,  seven  by  nine  inches, 
containing  thirty-two  pages.  Its  opening  paragraph  sets  forth  the  pur- 
pose of  the  directors  in  presenting  it. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  realize  that  parents,  choosing  Camp  for  their 

daughters,  use,  as  a  deciding   factor,  not  the  text  of   its  catalogue  nor  even   its 

pictures  but,  instead,  knowledge  received  first  hand  by  a  visit  to  Camp 

or  information  given  them  by  mothers  and  fathers  whose  daughters  have  attended 

Camp.     However,  there   is  certain   information  which   it  is   well  to  set 

forth  and  the  following  pictures  will  portray  facts  better  than  words.' 

There  is  less  than  a  page  of  printing  and  the  remainder  of  the  book- 
let is  filled  with  beautiful  well-selected  pictures  with  brief  captions. 
Such  a  booklet  arouses  interest  without  dulling  it  with  unnecessary 
detail.  An  inquiry  to  the  Director  can  bring  any  other  material  desired 
in  letters,  printed  folders,  inserts  and  references.  A  representative 
of  the  camp  may  be  notified  and  personal  solicitation  carried  on.  This 
camp  booklet  serves  as  an  introduction — not  as  a  salesman  nor  as  a 
teacher  to  educate  the  parent  or  camper.  It  has  the  added  advantage 
of  not  committing  the  camp  to  definite  program  policies,  thus  leaving 
room  for  a  much  more  flexible  prograin,  adjustable  to  new  insights  and 
changed  situations  without  resentment  or  disappointment  on  the  part 
of  those  who  come  expecting  a  too  definite  experience. 

The  camp  from  whose  booklet  I  quoted  certainly  does  not  neglect 
giving  the  parents  information ;  their  patrons  probably  have  as  clear 
an  understanding  of  what  goes  on  in  camp  as  do  those  of  any  camp 
in  the  country.  During  the  summer  the  campers  write  about  their 
experiences — events,  feelings,  songs,  poems,  thoughts — for  the  camp 
paper ;  these  are  preserved,  edited,  published  in  booklet  form,  and  mailed 
to  the  campers  as  a  Christmas  greeting  with  a  message  from  the  Camp 

'Document  No.  39. 


154  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Educaf-ioft 

Directors.  Campers'  memories  are  refreshed  and  they  again,  tell  of  their 
camp  experiences.  Such  description,  alive  and  with  the  spirit  of  camp 
moving  through  it.  interests  parents.  Copies  of  this  "camp  log"'  are 
available  for  prospective  campers. 

There  has  been  an  abundance  of  direct-by-mail  advertising  by  indi- 
vidual camps.  It  seems  to  have  been  assumed  that  the  crop  of  campers 
is  limited  and  that  the  merits  of  your  camp  must  be  strongly  defended 
in  order  to  get  enough  to  fill  your  quota.  Is  it  not  much  nearer  the 
truth  that  the  educational  experience  of  camping  needs  to  be  made 
available  to  many  more  boys  and  girls  than  are  now  receiving  it?  If 
camps  worked  together  to  interest  this  larger  group  of  people  in  the 
values  of  camp  life,  would  they  not  all  profit  by  the  increased  clientele 
without  the  deadly  competition  ? 

There  are  still  many  parents  who  look  upon  camping  as  either  just 
an  outdoor  recreation  place,  or  as  a  place  for  the  correction  of  trouble- 
some and  problem  children.  As  one  father  who  admitted  that  he  knew 
almost  nothing  about  camps  expressed  it : 

I  had  presumed  that  they  were  not  for  me  because  I  was  having  no  particular 
difficulty  with  my  children  and  we  had  in  the  family  a  very  pleasant  summer 
place  which  all  the  children  loved.  Therefore,  summer  presented  no  conscious 
problem ;  and  I  had  supposed  camps  appealed  to  those  parents  who  either  had 
children  whom  they  could  not  themselves  control,  or  who  lacked  a  suitable  place 
to  send  them  or  take  them  for  the  summer.™ 

Accordingly  when  one  summer  the  summer  place  was  not  available 
this  man  sent  his  boy  to  camp  and  was  amazed  at  the  abilities  he  gained, 
the  lack  of  which  he  had  not  previously  felt.  He  has  been  sending  his 
boys  and  his  girls  to  camps  ever  since,  and  enthusiastically  wrote :/ 

Camps  not  only  accustom  them  to  their  proper  places  in  the  company  of  others  ; 
camps  are  able  to  drill  and  accustom  children  to  self-restraints  and  self-disciplines 
which  are  singularly  difficult  to  teach  in  the  home ;  the  camp  seems  to  me  an  almost 
necessary  refuge  for  children  from  the  everywhere-offered  opportunities  for 
machine-made  and  more  or  less  deleterious  recreation." 

Here  is  where  camp  directors  need  to  make  a  united  "push"  toward 
enlightenment  of  parents  to  the  positive  opportunities  which  camping 
has  to  offer.  Many  try  to  convey  the  impression  that  their  particular 
camp  offers  all  these  fine  values,  but  hint  rather  darkly  that  many  other 
camps  do  not — that  parents  had  best  be  very  wary  about  choosing  any 
"substitute."  Such  writing  is  taken  for  what  it  i.s — not  enlightening 
truth,  but  propaganda — but  if  the  truth  in  it  were  stated  positively  in 
materials  produced  and  distributed  co-operatively  with  emphasis  on 
how  to  judge  camps,  then  each  worthy  camp  could  use  the  material 
and  benefit  from  the  progress  of  the  whole  camp  movement. 

Along  with  a  co-operative  plan  for  presenting  camping  values  con- 
structively to  the  public,  must  go  an  increase  of  dependence  on  personal 
and  friendly  solicitation  of  the  campers.  This  too  can  be  worked  out 
with  a  fine  spirit  and  without  unnecessary  duplication,  when  some  of 
the  present  practices  of  competitive  recruiting  are  corrected.     One  of 


"Document  No.   40. 
"-Ibid. 


^ 


Problems  and  Lags  of  Organlzt-d  Camping  155 

these  is  the  practice  of  some  camp  directors  of  selectiti}^  part  or  all  ot 
their  counselors  on  the  basis  of  the  numbers  of  campers  they  can  secure 
for  the  camp.  This  does  not  insure  the  rii,dit  kind  of  counselor,  rarely 
provides  for  the  trainint;;  of  counselors,  and  thus  makes  the  camj)  less 
worthy  of  the  confidence  of  the  public,  because  the  ])arties  to  the  trans- 
action have  l)een  more  interested  in  the  commercial  or  economic  side 
of  the  question  than  the  educational  principles  involved  or  the  children 
concerned.  In  addition  to  lowering  the  standards  of  the  counselorship. 
it  tends  toward  the  acceptance  of  representatives  who  are  either  igno- 
rant of,  or  unwilling  to  follow  the  ethics  of  the  profession. 

The  payment  of  large  commissions  increases  the  keenness  of  the 
competition  in  certain  communities  to  the  point  where  the  human  values 
may  be  lost  sight  of  and  camping  suffers  in  consequence. 

These  practices  can  readily  be  banished  when  the  organized  camp 
directors  set  higher  standards  and  co-operatively  provide  the  literature 
which  exposes  the  evils  in  these  practices.  A  piece  of  literature  setting 
forth  high  standards  of  camping  published  co-operatively  has  more 
weight  with  a  prospective  patron  and  is  a  far  stronger  answer  to  a 
low  standard  Ijeing  held  by  another  camp  than  any  personal  argument ; 
the  principle  involved  gets  attention  rather  than  personal  competition. 

A  few  of  the  problems  which  seem  to  be  causing  the  camping  move- 
ment to  lag  behind  expected  progress  have  been  briefly  presented  to 
illustrate  the  difficulties  which  camp  directors  are  facing  in  the  present 
unorganized  stage  of  the  movement,  together  with  a  few  suggestions 
for  further  experimentation  to  bring  camping  people  and  the  general 
public  to  a  better  understanding  of  each  other  to  their  mutual  advantage. 
If  the  method  of  continuous  co-operative  research  can  be  adopted  a 
more  adequate  adjustment  of  these  and  many  other  problems  may  be 
expected. 


CHAPTER  IX 

TRENDS  WITHIN  THE  CAMPING  MOVEMENT 

Three  trends  very  significant  for  the  camping  moveme,nt  are : 
(a)  Many  camp  directors  are  tending  to  become  progressive  education- 
alists ;  that  is,  are  more  experimental  and  critical  in  their  attitude 
toward  their  work  and  are  ready  to  think  things  through  in  their  own 
situations  rather  than  follow  time-worn  traditions,  (b)  They  are  be- 
ginning to  build  up  a  clientele  of  understanding  parents,  whose  knowl- 
edge of  child  life  and  training  may  enable  the  results  of  a  child's  camp- 
ing experience  to  carry  over  into  his  everyday  life  situations;  and 
(c)  they  are  earnestly  striving  for  a  better  quaUfied  and  more  highly 
trained  leadership  among  their  counselors. 

In  the  last  chapter  some  of  the  evidences  of  these  trends  were  men- 
tioned, such  as  the  Behavior  Change  Inquiry,  through  which  the  South- 
ern Camp  Directors  have  proposed  over  a  five  year  period  to  study 
their  own  problems  so  that  they  may  guide  their  camp  procedures  from 
their  own  researches — ^from  an  evaluation  of  what  is  taking  place  with- 
in their  own  camps.  This  well  planned  research  project  on  which 
a  preliminary  report  was  made  at  the  annual  meeting  at  Montreat,  North 
Carolina,  March  2,  1933,  is  now  in  its  third  year  and  promises  valuable 
findings  for  organized  camping. 

One  of  the  problems  mentioned  in  the  last  chapter  was  the  dif^ficulty 
camp  directors  had  found  in  locating  a  means  of  training  and  study  for 
themselves  and  their  counselors.  Determined  groups  of  them  have 
made  alliances  with  certain  institutions  and  are  beginning  to  find  ways 
to  supply  their  needs.  One  of  these  is  an  annual  three-day  seminar 
for  Camp  Directors  held  since  1930  under  the  auspices  of  George 
Williams  College  of  Chicago  working  especially  upon  the  educational 
philosophy  of  camping,  the  applied  sciences  underlying  it,  and  the  social 
techniques  necessary  to  make  it  effective.  These  Seminars  like  the 
Blue  Ridge  Institutes  have  published  in  Proceedings  and  Manuals  ma- 
terials which  have  served,  as  sources  and  guides  for  study,  a  far  larger 
number  of  camp  people. 

Although  many  men  and  women  who  direct  camps  have  not  afifiliated 
with  anv  of  these  organized  means  of  study  and  improvement  such 
individualists  miss  the  sharing  of  experience  and  their  camps  are  grad- 
ually dropping  behind  those  of  directors  who  are  more  progressive. 

The  changes  in  educational  philosophy  among  camp  directors  are 
especially  noticeable  in  the  papers  they  prepare  for  their  annual  con- 
ventions.   Here  are  a  few  paragraphs  to  illustrate  the  point : 

....  For  a  long  time  our  educational  practice  indicated  that  we  believed  that 
desirable  traits  of  personality  and  fine  attitudes  and  superior  moral  character  were 
to  be  ac(|uircd  by  means  of  drills,  by  memorizing,  by  doing  of  hard  and  un- 
pleasant tasks.     Now  we  know  that  no  drill,  no  memorizing,  no  problem  solving, 

1.S6 


Trends  Within  the  dim  pin  i^  Mo7unufi(  157 

in  fact  no  form  of  learning;  is  productive  of  the  best  results  except  as  it  is  possible 
for  the  learner  to  comprehend  and  appropriate  the  significance  of  the  task  in 
relation  to  his  own  needs,  desires,  ambitions,  and  motives. 

....  If  we  agree,  and  I  feel  sure  that  we  do,  that  mastery  of  self  and  en- 
largement of  personality  consist  of  the  formation  of  new  and  worthwhile  habits, 
the  control  of  new  and  desirable  skills,  and  the  extension  of  experience  beyond 
the  home  and  school  horizons,  surely,  in  the  summer  camp  we  who  lead  can 
present  an  educational  program  of  unique  and  significant  value  to  boys  and  girls 
who  have  been  more  or  less  hedged  about  by  formality  in  school,  and  unvarying 
and  stereotyped  home  environment,  completeiy  imposed  control  and  limited  social 
contacts. 

....  Why  can  we  not  come  to  see  that  children  are  more  like  adults  than  they 
are  different.  An  adult  excels  in  things  he  desires  to  do.  hopes  for,  longs  for. 
fights  and  struggles  for.  He  is  driven  from  within.  An  inventor  excels  because 
he  gives  himself  voluntarily  to  an  undertaking,  because  he  has  found  a  means 
with  which  to  express  his  idea.  A  writer  succeeds  only  when  he  drives  himself. 
An  artist,  a  teacher,  a  public  .servant  can  succeed  only  when  driven  from  within. 
He  excels  in  things  he  desires  to  do ;  hopes  for,  longs  for,  can  be  brought  to  fight 
and  struggle  for. 

....  When  will  the  child  come  to  voluntarily  display  sportsmanship,  unselfish- 
ness, and  the  spirit  of  helpfulness  in  the  stresses  of  his  home,  school,  and  com- 
munity life?  Not  when  he  has  been  told  that  he  ought  to  be  a  good  sport,  to  be 
unselfish,  and  to  be  helpful ;  not  even  when  he  knows  that  popularity  and  success 
depend  upon  it;  not  even  if  he  were  told  that  the  salvation  of  his  immortal  soul 
depends  upon  it.  When,  then?  When  and  after,  he  has  had  copious  opportunities 
in  enough  varied  occupations  and  tasks,  when  driven  by  his  own  hopes,  longings 
and  ambitions,  to  be  a  good  sport,  to  be  unselfish,  to  be  helpful.  Only  when  these 
desirable  traits  have  become  warp  and  woof  of  all  of  life's  fabric,  only  when  they 
are  elements  in  the  patterns  that  have  been  worked  into  his  nervous  system  through 
the  satisfactions  of  his  daily  life  will  they  be  certain  to  function  voluntarily.* 

Not  only  does  this  Camp  Director's  address  show  that  camping  is 
considered  educational,  but  mass  approach  has  been  discarded  for  coun- 
seling and  guiding  individuals  through  activities,  associations  and  friend- 
ships. 

Camping!  and  Parent  Education 

Another  important  vv^ork  of  the  camping  movement  is  in  the  direc- 
tion of  parent  education.  As  camp  directors  have  learned  to  practice 
a  more  progressive  and  voluntaristic  educational  philosophy,  they  have 
realized  that  parents  and  home  environment  play  so  large  a  part  in 
the  growth  of  the  personalities  of  their  campers  that  they  must  be 
working  harmoniously  if  the  camp  is  to  succeed  in  making  any  real 
and  permanent  contribution.  This  has  meant  not  only  learning  about 
the  child,  the  home,  and  the  parents,  but  has  also  required  that  the 
parents  come  to  understand  the  camp ;  to  think  through  the  educational 
philosophy  the  camp  is  following  so  as  to  co-operate  outside  the  camp 
season  and  outside  the  camping  environment.  This  need  of  mutual 
understanding  between  director  and  parents  is  expressed  by  one  of  the 
directors  in  one  big  question : 

'Kephart,  A.  P.  ;  Camp  objectives  and  the  new  psychology;  address  before  South- 
ern Section  of  C.  D.  A.  A.  at  Atlanta.  Georgia.  1930.     Document  i\o.  41. 


158  Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 

Shall  the  child  return  from  a  world  of  romance,  where  doing  things  for  the 
happiness  of  the  group  has  been  understood  as  essential  to  the  joy  of  living,  and 
be  plunged  into  a  world  where  the  same  kind  of  things-to-be-done  are  merely 
matters  of  "ought-to"  or  "have-to?"  Must  the  little  fellows  who  come  back 
proud  in  new  knowledge  gained  by  doing  things  on  their  own,  find  themselves 
almost  immediately  surrounded  by  grown-ups  who  find  it  easier  to  do  things  for 
the  boy  or  girl  than  to  exercise  the  wisdom  and  patience  to  lead  on  from  where 
the  camp  left  off  into  further  self-mastery  and  self-reliance?^ 

Many  camp  directors  are  trying  to  get  parents  to  think  more  about 
what  camping  means,  to  be  more  critical  of  the  camping  movement,  and 
are  setting  their  standards  of  what  parents  should  expect  from  camps. 
A  Southern  Camp  Director  in  1932  revived  an  idea  which  originated 
much  earlier  with  H.  W.  Gibson,  at  Camp  Beckett,  by  setting  aside 
a  "Dads'  Week"  and  inviting  fathers  to  spend  the  week  at  the  camp 
with  their  boys.  The  original  idea  was  for  a  father  to  come  to'  know 
his  boy  better  by  seeing  him  in  the  camp  environment  and  by  partici- 
pation with  him  in  camping  activities.     Much  was  added  to  this  idea. 

The  camp  director  organized  the  week  so  that  parents  (for  several 
mothers  came  along  with  the  "Dads"),  directors,  and  counselors  held 
a  seminar  each  morning.  Leaders  in  Youth  Education  were  secured 
to  lead  discussions  on  phases  of  boy-life. 

Although  the  group  attending  and  participating  in  the  seminars  was 
not  large  the  first  year,  fathers  who  could  not  attend  requested  that  it 
be  made  an  annual  afifair  so  they  could  plan  for  it.  Mothers  wrote 
the  director  requesting  that  it  be  made  a  Parents'  week,  so  they  could 
come  too.  Here  the  camp  director  was  in  a  quandary — would  the 
presence  of  the  mothers  take  away  any  of  the  father's  time  from  really 
camping  with  the  boys?  At  any  rate  the  decision  was  to  try  again 
the  "Dads'  Week"  program  and  it  proved  of  increasing  interest  in  its 
second  and  third  seasons ;  mothers  were  not  excluded. 

The  experiment  resulted  in  a  wider  reach  than  the  number  attend- 
ing; for  those  who  were  present  were  so  pleased  with  the  papers  pre- 
sented that  they  arranged  to  have  them  collected  and  mimeographed 
so  they  could  get  copies  for  further  study  and  to  pass  on  to  their 
friends.  The  materials  were  thus  made  available  to  parents  who  were 
unable  to  attend  the  seminars. 

In  an  address  before  the  Southern  Counselors'  Institute,  this  camp 
director  pointed  out  a  number  of  things  parents  have  a  right  to  expect 
of  a  camp.  Among  these  are  (a)  health  and  increased  physical  vigor, 
(b)  adventure,  (c)  happy,  creative  activity,  (d)  new  skills,  knowledge 
and  appreciations. 

Parents  have  the  right  to  expect  that  their  boys  and  girls  will  acquire  new 
skills  and  knowledge  while  at  camp.  The  helplessness  of  the  average  city  boy, 
on  his  first  trip  to  the  wilderness,  is  pathetic.  His  ignorance  of  the  simplest 
things  in  woodcraft,  such  as  fire  building,  the  making  of  improvised  beds  and 
shelters  and  meeting  the  usual  exigiencies  of  life  in  the  wildsi  is  apt  to  rob  his 
first  wilderness  adventure  of  much  of   its  thrill  and   fascination.     His  eyes  are 


1 


1 


^Hamilton,  A.  E. ;   Is  America  Camp  Crazy?      Parents   Magazine,  Vol.   6,   May, 
1931. 


Trends  Within  the  Caml>inii  Movement  159 

blind  to  the  natural  beauty  all  about  him,  and  he  is  too  much  occupied  with  l)rij;rs 
and  brambles  to  glory  in  the  beauty  of  the  trees,  flowers,  sunsets,  and  the  wild 
folk  of  the  forest.  After  a  few  such  experiences,  however,  the  note  of  a  bird 
never  escapes  his  keen  ear. 

The  camp  child  goes  home  with  an  appreciation  of  nature  that  enriches  iiis 
personality  and  makes  him  feel  akin  to  all  the  natural  life  about  him.'' 

This  camp  director's  belief  in  taking  the  parents  into  his  confidence 
and  acquainting  them  with  camp  life  at  first  hand  has  been  adopted 
with  variations  by  other  camps  with  real  success. 

Magazine  articles  are  becoming  very  real  aids  in  making  parents 
more  intelligent  about  camping  objectives  and  values. 

Leadership  Training 

The  fact  that  the  training  of  counselors  has  become  a  real  problem 
of  the  camping  movement  shows  that  there  is  a  real  trend  toward  rec- 
ognition of  the  importance  of  the  counselor's  position.  Early  training 
schools  for  counselors  gave  instruction  mainly  in  specific  skills  for 
definite  activity  leadership.  While  these  phases  are  not  being  neglected 
and  the  training  being  given  by  the  Red  Cross  Institutes  for  life-saving 
and  water-front  service  are  especially  valuable,  it  is  now  recognized 
that  it  is  most  important  that  counselors  be  trained  in  child  psychology, 
in  everyday  guidance  techniques,  and  in  the  principles  of  progressive 
education.  They  must  be  able  to  see  beyond  the  mass  of  boys  or  girls 
engaging  in  activities  and  understand  the  relationship  of  an  activity  to 
each  person  engaging  in  it. 

Fulfilling  these  needs  the  Blue  Ridge  Institutes  for  three  years  have 
demonstrated  their  excellence  and  have  become  a  permanent  part  of 
the  counselor  training  program  of  the  Southern  Camp  Directors.  Col- 
lege credit  is  allowed  for  the  units  completed  in  these  ten-day  intensive 
courses.  Although  major  emphasis  is  placed  upon  the  personality 
studies,  educational  philosophies  and  guidance  techniques,  happy  periods 
of  training  in  activity  skills  in  the  fashion  of  real  campers  furnish  rec- 
reation and  relaxation. 

Some  excerpts  from  one  of  the  outlines  prepared  for  an  Institute 
course  show  how  the  seminars  stimulate  thought  on  educational  phi- 
losophy : 

....  Morals  is  a  matter  of  living  with  other  people  in  such  a  way  as  to  bring 
the  greatest  happiness  to  all.  Therefore,  boys  should  have  the  opportunity  to 
practice  a  rich  and  varied  social  life  and  they  must  be  shown  when  they  go  right 
and  be  happy,  and  be  shown  when  they  go  wrong  and  feel  sorry. 

....  Camp  counselors  need  to  be  more  concerned  teaching  children  than 
teaching  subjects.  The  method  of  creative  education  is  just  as  applicable  to 
activity  groups  as  living  groups.  Camp  activities  are  a  means  to  an  end,  never 
ends  in  themselves. 

....  Cooperative  thinking,  purposing  and  executing  in  the  interest  of  what 
is  mutually  wanted  is  our  need  and  must  be  practiced  with  satisfaction  in  youth 
if  we  want  it  practiced  in  adulthood. 


'Johnson,   C.   Walton;   What    Parents   Have  a   Right   to    E.xpect   of   the    Summer 
Camp;  A  Camp  Counselor's  Manual,  Nashville,   1933.  pp.    16-18. 


160  Organized  Camfitig  and  Progressive  Education 

This  means  not  freedom  from  laws,  but  freedom  through  law  and  the  making 
of  law.  VVe  grow  free  only  as  we  extend  and  deepen  the  bonds  that  unify  us — 
only  as  we  think,  plan,  act,  judge,  and  enjoy  together. 

Youth  must  be  allowed  to  weave  their  own  cobweb  of  life  in  their  owii  situa- 
tions. We  do  not  know  what  shape  these  cobwebs  will  take ;  we  don't  care  as 
leaders  about  the  shape ;  we  are  concerned  about  the  strength  and  efficiency  of 
the  web  and  whether  it  makes  the  most  of  its  situation.  Heretofore,  we  have  been 
interested  in  the  shape  of  the  character ;  now  we  are  interested  in  its  integrity.* 

In  such  Institutes  may  be  seen  a  beginning  of  a  trend  for  training 
leadership,  which  may  well  be  enormously  extended  to  bring  all  camp 
workers  a  larger  appreciation  of  the  opportunities  of  camping  as  an 
educational  experience. 

Changes  in  Educational  Philosophy  and  Practice 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  to  what  extent  the  trend  toward  a  new 
philosophy  of  camping  has  become  incorporated  in  actual  practice.  In 
times  of  transition  there  is  a  tendency  for  the  phraseology  and  philos- 
ophy of  a  progressive  movement  to  get  acceptance  and  to  run  far  ahead 
of  the  actual  understanding  and  practice  of  the  procedures.  One  of  the 
outstanding  experimenters  in  progressive  camp  work  has  pointed  this 
out: 

Progressive  camping  not  only  is  respected  (after  years  of  ridicule  as  visionary 
and  Utopian),  but  has  in  some  quarters  become  fashionable;  as  a  result  we  have 
a  drove  of  converts.  I  am  afraid,  however,  that  the  "victory"  for  the  progressive 
education  is  being  too  easily  won.  We  have  many  verbal  converts  whose  pro- 
gressiveness  consists  largely  of  a  new  phraseology. 

....  Progressive  camping  is  a  difficult  conception  in  our  authoritarian,  mechan- 
ized and  tradition-bound  world.  Progressive  schools  have  found  on  the  whole, 
that  traditionally  trained  teachers  could  not  function  in  a  newer  educational  pro- 
cedure, and  have  had  to  train  their  own  teachers.  What  reason  then  do  we  have 
to  believe  that  camp  directors  are  so  gifted  that  they  can  turn  formal,  conven- 
tional camps,  into  progressive  educational  institutions  without  changing  their  staffs 
and  without  a  basic  reorganization  of  their  entire  plan  and  approach." 

After  paying  his  respects  to  all  these  so-called  tinkers  with  progres- 
sive education,  this  camp  director  sets  out  his  own  criteria  for  a  pro- 
gressive camp.  Here  are  a  few  of  his  statements  of  the  positive  phase 
of  progressive  camping : 

In  a  progressive  educational  camp  the  chiklren  find  that  they  are  free  to  enter 
any  activity  at  any  time  during  the  active  day.  There  may  be  a  morning  meeting 
of  the  campers  in  small  groups  to  plan  tlie  day  or  there  may  be  a  few  simple 
announcements  early  in  the  season  of  all  available  opportunities  for  activity.  The 
children  know  that  each  counselor  is  ready  and  eager  to  join  them  in  any  activitj' 
they  wish.  They  can  plan  a  hike  or  a  ball  game  and  their  group  counselor  will 
join  them.  They  may  plan  to  t)uild  a  cabin  or  a  boat,  and  the  construction  coun- 
selor will  readily  work  with  them  if  the  job  is  too  difficult  for  the  group  counselor. 
Or  they  may  wander  individually  over  the  workslmp,  tlie  nature  cabin,  or  the  boat 
dock,  the  garden  plot,  where  they  know  the  counselors  are  at  work  and  at  their 


*Stone.  Walter  L.  ;  A  Camp  Counselor's  Manual.  V.  M.  C.  A.  Graduate  School. 
Nashville,  pp.  54-60. 

''Lieberman,  Joshua;  What  is  a  Progressive  Camp?  Association  Boys  Work 
Journal.  May,   1932,  p.   9. 


Trends  Within  the  Camping  Movement  161 

disposal.     Or  they  may  decide  to  occupy  themselves  with  a  counselor,  to  dip  a  cave 
or  play  a  game,  or  visit  the  pond. 

Some  children  do  not  know  what  to  do  in  these  circumstances.  They  have 
grown  accustomed  to  accepting  adult-made  decisions  and  do  not  know  what  to  do 
when  left  to  themselves.  These  need  individual  study  and  assistance.  With  a 
little  patient  observation,  with  exposure  to  stimulating  situations  and  the  utiliza- 
tion of  signs  of  interest,  most  of  these  children  soon  feci  at  home  in  the  new 
environment  and  utilize  it  to  the  full. 

There  are  maladjusted  children  who  need  an  unusual  amount  of  effort  hut 
neither  these  nor  the  ones  who  cannot  easily  find  activity  are  helped  by  being  fitted 
into  an  adult-made  situation.  They  can  be  helped  only  in  a  situation  in  which 
they  are  free  to  be  themselves.  Under  such  circumstances  the  adult  directors  can 
learn  really  to  know  the  children  and  then  help  them  meet  and  solve  their  prcjiilcms. 
Any  other  procedure  only  puts  off  facing  the  child's  difficulties  until  it  is  probably 
too  late.* 

While  it  must  be  admitted  that  not  a  large  percentage  of  camps  have 
the  vision  to  attempt  so  complete  an  adjustment  of  camp  life,  staff  and 
program  to  the  needs  of  the  individual  child  the  trend  is  moving  in  that 
direction  and  we  may  expect  a  marked  increase  in  this  tyj^e  of  camping 
as  soon  as  the  institutes  reach  more  camp  directors  and  counselors  with 
a  sound  program  of  training  in  the  applied  sciences  and  techniques. 
Those  who  have  pioneered  in  this  direction  have  found  their  experi- 
ments so  fruitful  and  their  experiences  so  worthwhile  and  joyous,  that 
they  are  rapidly  spreading  this  gospel  of  guiding  the  personality  growth 
of  campers. 

Personality  Enrichment  an  Objective 

As  the  movement  becomes  increasingly  critical  of  itself,  research 
and  experimentation  are  opening  a  field  of  scientific  investigation  in 
personal  values,  appreciations,  and  spiritual  possibilities  that  may  in- 
deed bring  about  some  understanding  of  how  an  individual  achieves  a 
satisfactory  personality — not  only  becomes  a  person  who  has  satisfac- 
tions within  his  own  way  of  living  but  is  a  satisfactory  member  of  a 
group  or  community.  Dr.  Dimock.  who  directed  a  research  at  Camp 
Ahmek,  discusses  the  importance  of  the  status  of  a  boy  in  his  group — 
a  problem  which  camp  directors  and  educators  must  take  into  account. 

It  is  now  generally  recognized  that  the  personality  of  an  individual  grows 
through  interaction  with  other  persons.  If  there  is  no  social  interaction,  there  is 
no  personality.  The  sociologists  have  presented  many  striking  illustrations  of  the 
effect  of  isolation  on  individuals  and  personality.  How  much  isolation  there 
exists  in  camp  we  do  not  know.  We  assume  that  because  there  is  physical  contact 
between  campers  there  is  also  personal  interaction.  This  may  not  be  true.  A 
camper  may  participate  in  the  routine  and  the  external  activities  of  a  group  but 
he  is  not  thereby  a  member  in  the  genuine  psychological  sense.  He  must  have  the 
subjective,  emotional  acceptance  and  appreciation  of  the  other  members  of  the 
group  really  to  be  a  member.'' 


""Ibid.,  p.  11. 

'Dimock,  Hedley  S. ;  The  Acceptability  of  the  Camper  in  His  Group;  Association 
Boys  Work  Journal,  May,  1932,  p.  18. 


162  Organized  Canifing  and  Progressive  Education 

Dr.  Dimock  reports  from  his  study  that  it  appears  "that  the  factors 
of  attitude  and  conduct  are  more  significant  in  determining  the  status 
or  acceptabiHty  of  a  boy  with  the  other  members  of  his  group  than  any 
other  factor  observed  or  analyzed  in  our  study."  He  feels  that  he  has 
just  opened  up  the  problem  and  that  there  are  still  many  avenues  of 
study  in  connection  with  this  matter  of  a  boy's  status  in  his  camp  group 
which  may  profitably  be  followed. 

Safety,  Health  and  Leisureuness 

Probably  few  of  the  camp  life  studies  have  been  quite  so  thought 
provoking  as  that  of  Dr.  Sanders  on  the  safety  and  health  provisions 
of  summer  camps.  Camps  were  becoming  more  critical  of  their  safety 
and  health  programs,  but  the  findings  of  Dr.  Sanders  came  with  quite 
a  shock  to  most  camp  directors.  He  set  up  for  them  the  problem  of 
"How  to  provide  for  a  maximum  of  safety  with  the  least  possible  loss 
of  adventure."  He  proposes  to  camps  to  remove  the  "needless  physical 
hazards"  about  the  camp  and  its  equipment ;  to  so  introduce  and  pre- 
pare campers  for  new  experiences  that  they  may  not  take  too  great  risks 
and  to  keep  a  record  of  all  accidents  and  learn  from  them  how  to  pre- 
vent their  recurrence.^ 

Most  surprise  came  with  his  statement  that  for  the  long  term  camps 
the  illness  frequency  curve  steadily  rose  throughout  the  summer,  reach- 
ing a  peak  at  about  the  seventh  or  eighth  week.  This  called  for  stricter 
procedures  as  regards  immunization  before  coming  to  camp  and  med- 
ical examinations  that  are  complete  and  thorough  and  not  perfunctory. 
Some  allowance  could  be  made  for  these  cases,  but  when  the  findings 
showed  that  camps  were  not  measuring  up  on  food,  rest,  sleep,  and  free- 
dom from  worry — the  things  camp  directors  had  always  taken  most 
pride  in  and  advertised  as  their  great  resources — it  seemed  indeed  time 
to  take  thought.  The  findings  showed  that,  if  the  child  specialists  were 
correct  as  to  what  growing  children  needed,  many  camps  were  really 
draining  their  campers  of  sleep  as  long  as  they  remained  in  camp.  Food 
was  found  to  be  inadequate  too — not  so  much  in  quantity  as  balance. 
There  was  frequently  too  much  starch.    To  quote  a  striking"  paragraph : 

As  to  rest  and  exercise,  I  believe  there  has  not  been  an  impartial  observer  of 
camps  in  recent  years  who  has  not  come  back  with  the  feeling  that  the  average 
youngster  is  in  sore  need  of  a  vacation  after  he  finished  one  of  our  highly  organ- 
ized competitive  camps.  The  one  person  who  has  the  best  chance  to  gain  in  health 
in  the  ordinary  camp  for  boys,  is  in  my  opinion  the  person  so  lazy  that  the  camp 
ingenuity  breaks  down  at  the  task  of  getting  him  into  all  of  the  activities.* 

Concerning  the  related  problems  of  mental  hygiene.  Dr.  Sanders 
states  the  conclusions  from  his  study  in  equally  forceful  fashion: 

Camp  programs  are  set  up  to  force  or  invite  campers  into  continuous  and 
prolonged  activity.  There  is  a  very  strong  element  of  compulsion,  either  direct 
or  implied,  in  most  camp  programs,  and  the  majority  of  camps  have  very  objective 
and  immediate  methods  of  distributing  praise  or  blaiBe  in  the  form  of  honor  sys- 


^Sanders,   J.    Edward ;    Camps   Need    Better   Planning ;    Boys   Club    Round   Table. 
Vol.  VIII,  No.  1,  March,  1931,  p.   133. 
""Ibid.,  p.  135  ff. 


Trends  Within  the  Camping  Move  me  nt  163 

tems,  tent  competitions,  and  a  host  of  similar  competitive  activities.  The  result 
IS  that  most  youngsters  are  dropped  into  an  atmosphere  of  considerable  pressure 
and  tension  and  in  this  they  remain  until  they  leave  camp.  If  there  is  any  value 
in  leisure,  in  freedom  from  compulsions  of  a  variety  of  outward  types,  in  a  sort 
of  happy,  careless  attitude  toward  one's  surroundings,  then  certainly  youngsters 
are  missing  something  in  our  camps  as  they  are  conducted.'" 

Dr.  Sanders'  study,  however,  did  not  make  him  pessimistic  so  far  as 
the  camp  movement  is  concerned ;  although  he  feels  that  many  campers 
are  harmed  hy  their  camp  experiences,  he  also  feels  that  many  more 
gain  from  camping ;  that  most  all  camps  have  some  excellences  and  that 
if  they  vi^ould  confer  more  and  share  in  the  study  of  their  problems, 
camping  could  be  so  conducted  that  almost  all  the  campers  would  gain ; 
and  still  without  standardizing  the  camp  procedures. 

The  camp  at  Blue  Ridge  as  described  for  1931  was  one  of  the  camps 
that  made  a  sincere  effort  to  provide  a  program  in  accord  with  these 
principles.  This  emphasis  on  health,  quiet,  and  leisureliness  of  pro- 
grams, may  be  said  to  constitute  one  of  the  significant  trends  of  camping 
at  the  present. ^^ 

While  this  trend  toward  leisureliness  and  a  careful  check  on  health 
is  being  brought  to  the  camps  with  new  force,  it  is  also  part  of  the 
progressive  education  movement.  Camp  people  had  assumed,  that  be- 
cause they  were  out  of  doors  all  would  go  well ;  they  are  now  realizing 
that  special  precatitions  must  be  taken  to  insure  safety  and  health  in 
any  situation.  Camps  were  rated  high  when  measured  by  the  formal 
schools,  but  now  that  they  are  to  be  ineasured  against  their  possibilities, 
higher  standards  are  demanded. 

Health  and  the  Free  Program 

Lest  the  impression  be  given  that  this  trend  has  but  lately  been 
thought  of  it  may  be  well  to  quote  from  an  article  published  more  than 
twenty  years  ago  which  takes  the  schools  to  task  even  more  severely 
than  the  way  in  which  Dr.  Sanders  stirred  the  camps : 

You  can  tell  a  child,  in  an  hour,  more  than  he  can  work  out.  or  test  to  his 
satisfaction,  in  a  day;  and  he  can  tell  you  all  that  is  of  importance  about  what 
he  has  done  in  the  day  before,  and  all  the  deductions  he  can  draw  from  it,  in  an- 
other hour.  So  why  confine  him  in  the  school  room  for  longer  than  these  two 
periods?  He  grows  by  living  and  he  learns  by  doing;  neither  of  these  can  be 
done  as  well  in  the  schoolroom  as  elsewhere.  ...  It  is  no  longer  sufficient  that 
school  shall  not  interfere  with  the  health  of  the  child  ;  it  must  positively  promote  it. 

.  .  .  The  real  purpose  of  education  is  not  to  pour  into  the  child  as  if  he  were 
a  bushel  basket,  or  a  milk-pail,  so  many  quarts  of  information  per  month,  so  that 
his  intellectual  contents  will  reach  a  certain  level  at  the  end  of  each  year  until  he 
is  "full-up"  on  commencement  day,  but  to  develop  the  child's  powers,  so  that  he 
may  be  able  to  acquire  information,  draw  correct  conclusions  from  it,  and  utilize 
it  for  himself.  The  best  way  yet  devised  of  doing  this,  is  to  give  the  child  an 
interest  in  his  work.  .  .  .  For  the  discipline  and  obedience  of  the  old  education  the 
new  would  substitute  enthusiasm  and  initiative. 


"Ibid.,  p.  135  ff. 
'See  Chapter  6. 


164  Organized  Camming  and  Progressive  Education 

From  the  family  physician  comes  the  complaint  that  the  school  terms  of  the 
year  are  the  times  of  headaches,  of  anaemias,  of  epidemics  of  infectious  diseases, 
of  malnutrition,  of  nervous  irritability,  of  capricious  temper,  of  general  physical 
and  mental  deterioration.  .  .  . 

In  the  minds  of  the  most  careful  and  loving  students  of  the  child  and  his 
needs,  nothing  less  is  demanded  than  an  absolute  recasting  of  our  entire  educa- 
tional system,  molding  it  to  fit  the  needs  of  the  child,  to  promote,  at  every  point, 
his  interests,  his  growth,  and  his  health,  instead  of  antagonizing  him  two-thirds  of 
the  time,  as  it  does  now.  If  we  deliberately  took  pains  to  unfit  a  child  for  real 
life,  we  could  hardly  improve  upon  our  present  school  system.  For  investigation 
we  substitute  memory;  for  initiative,  tame  obedience  to  authority;  for  self-assert- 
iveness,  parrot-like  imitation ;  for  doing,  talking ;  and  for  these  things,  words, 
words,  words." 

These  statements  brought  up  from  twenty  years  ago  have  something 
of  a  familiar  ring  to  camp  directors  now  hearing  about  the  disadvan- 
tages of  formaHzed  and  fixed  programs,  of  award  and  point  systems, 
of  competitive  activities,  and  of  mental  strain  and  physical  drain.  Dr. 
Hutchison's  protest  has  borne  fruit  and  now  finds  concise  expression 
in  one  of  the  paragraphs  of  the  "Platform  for  the  Westchester  Branch 
of  the  Progressive  Education  Association,"  recently  adopted  and  pub- 
lished. 

We  believe  that  progressive  education  has  made  an  invaluable  contribution  in 
the  liberation  of  the  child  from  meaningless  routines  and  thus  freed  him  for  more 
creative  living.  It  has  focused  attention  upon  the  child's  emotional  as  well  as  his 
mental  growth.  It  has  served  as  the  vanguard  in  recognizing  the  necessity  for 
developing  the  integrated  child.  It  has  viewed  the  child  as  a  whole — being  con- 
cerned not  only  with  his  mastery  of  techniques  and  acquisition  of  knowledge,  but 
also  with  his  relations  to-  his  fellows,  his  family,  his  community,  and.  to  society  as 
a  whole." 

Progressive  camps  have  pioneered  in  this  field  and  will  continue  to 
take  their  place  alongside  progressive  schools  for  the  complete  and 
happy  development  of  boys  and  girls. 

One  camp  director  has  mentioned  the  regimented  homes  and  schools 
from  which  some  children  come  to  camp,  then  said  that  too  often  camps 
are  "regimented,  more  uniformed,  more  prize  and  punishment  ridden 
than  either  homes  or  schools.  Carefully  worked  out  rules  and  pro- 
grams make  the  exertion  of  will  or  mentality  unnecessary."  With  this 
type  of  camp  he  contrasts  one  with  a  stafif  of  progressive  directors  and 
counselors : 

These  people  were  not  to  lead  the  children  but  were  expected  rather  to  be 
enthusiastic  and  interested  friends,  respecting  the  child's  individuality  and  ready 
to  adjust  their  work  to  the  growing  interest  of  the  children. 

The  children  were  not  required  to  take  part  in  activities.  We  found  that  a 
stimulating  environment  and  good  Icader.'^hip  were  far  more  effectual  than  prizes 
and  competitive  effort  in  stimulating  activity. 

....  We  create  the  environment  but  within  that  environment  the  children 
function  as  they  desire." 


^'Hutchinson,  Woods;  M.  A.,  M.  D. ;  Brick  Walls  and  Growing  Children;  Good 
Ilousekeepinf^,  January,    1912,  p.   31. 

''Progressive    Education,    December,    1932. 

"Lieberman,  Joshua;   Progressive  Education,  Vol.  V,    1928,  p.    171. 


Trends  Wilkin  the  dvnpinir  Movement  165 

Another  camp  director  emphasizes  tlie  camp's  opportunitv  to  free 
the  camper  from  the  tension  and  rush  of  orchiiary  city  hfe. 

Time  for  shopwork.  science  and  art;  time  fir  liikiii^,-,  hoatinK.  swimming, 
prames,  and  for  playing  with  the  pets.  Time  for  cmichcd  quietness.  Carefully 
planned  time  for  (|uict ;  quiet  reverence  before  beauty,  «|uict  Itcforc  council  meetings, 
quiet  while  watching  the  sunset.  c|uict  while  watchinu;  the  cloud  shadows  roll  over 
the  mountain,  meadow  and  river  and  quiet  as  we  watch  the  stars.  Learning  to  be 
alone  and  not  be  lonely,  alone  and  then  be  ready  to  come  out  again  with  richer, 
deeper,  finer  adjustment  for  living  with  ourselves  and  our  friends." 

Cultural  Appreciations 

Several  of  the  leaders  in  the  camp  movement  arc  daring  to  hope  that 
along  with  this  trend  toward  a  more  leisurely  camp  program  is  coming 
a  trend  toward  a  much  greater  use  of  the  many  cultural  opi)()rtunities 
which  camps  have  so  often  overlooked.  In  the  same  article  from  which 
we  previously  quoted  Dr.  Sanders  complained  that  he  found  some  good 
singing  in  only  two  camps  out  of  45 ;  that  ceremonials  were  largely 
misused;  that  in  fifty  evenings  about  campfires  he  heard  four  stories — 
two  good  and  two  bad. 

The  encouraging  thing  is  that  there  are  camps  that  are  learning  to 
enjoy  the  fine  cultural  things  of  music,  dramatics,  art,  Nature  and 
Indian  Lore,  and  that  these  leaders  are  meeting  with  a  fine  response 
from  their  campers.  We  may  confidently  look  for  a  trend  in  that 
direction  as  we  have  more  sharing  of  experience,  more  training  of 
counselors  in  good  educational  philosophy,  and  especially  as  we  develoj) 
a  group  of  camp  directors  who  sense  the  importance  of  this  cultural 
essence  in  their  programs  and  learn  to  select  their  counselors  accord- 
ingly. Camp  Directing  as  a  profession  must  necessarily  continue  to 
raise  its  cultural  standards. 

Appreciations  of  the  fine  cultural  values  are  attitudes  that  must  be 
caught  from  those  who  have  them  and  who  feel  deeply  concerning  them. 
They  are  not  garments  that  may  be  put  on  and  taken  off  with  a  mood. 
An  excellent  music  counselor  in  a  Southern  boys'  camp  after  pointing 
out  that  camp  music  should  be  unique  and  of  high  standard  says: 

A  third  principle  is  that  camp  music  should  rank  as  creative  activity  rather 
than  as  passive  entertainment.  Where  can  one  find  a  rarer  field  for  developing 
music  as  a  creative  activity  than  in  camp  ?  Camp  permits  unique  music— musi  ■ 
peculiarly  its  very  own.  Out  of  a  world  blaring  with  radios  in  every  home  and 
shop,  with  an  orchestra  in  every  restaurant,  music  in  every  movie,  and  now  in  oiir 
cars,  the  boy  and  girl  comes  to  camp.  .  .  .  Dare  we  try  to  break  them  off  from  this 
deluge  of  radio  music?  Dare  we  try  to  offer  them  "Swing  Low  Sweet  Chariot" 
in  place  of  "I'm  Flying  High  When  I'm  Flying  With  You,"  or  "Alouetta'  'instead 
of  "Give  Me  Something  to  Remember  You  By?"  Dare  we  suggest  to  our  camp- 
ers that  there  is  a  distinctive  literature  of  Camp  Music,  traditional  songs  that 
breathe  the  good  friendship  of  the  council  fire,  the  vagabond  spirit  ot  the  gypsy, 
the  lure  of  "Down  in  the  Deep.  Deep  Woods,"  and  the  rollicking  nonsense  of  good 
fellowship?  Songs  that  make  for  camp  spirit,  song^  that  bind  us  to  each  other 
and  happy  summers  of  the  past,  songs  that  unlock  hidden  sources  of  joy  m  our 
deep  souls  that  we  did  not  know  were  there.     Songs  that  call  up  new  pirtures  m 


'"Garrett,  Laura  B. ;  Progressive  Education,  VoL  V,   1928,  p.   176. 


166  Orga?iized  Camfhig  and  Progressive  Education 

our  minds  out  of  the  flickering!  fire,  songs  that  blend  in  har-mony  with  the  wind 
in  the  hemlocks,  the  gentle  splashing  of  the  lake  or  the  talking,  singing  waters 
of  our  mountain  streams — songs  that  seem  to  belong  to  camp  and  that  identify 
themselves  with  the  very  soul  of  camp  as  nothing  else  seems  to  do? 

Such  an  ideal  for  the  musical  program  of  a  summer  camp,  perchance,  may  not 
be  accomplished  in  one  short  session,  but  into  some  camps,  through  a  period  of 
years,  there  has  been  woven  as  the  very  woof  of  its  fabric  that  type  of  camp 
music  that  gives  the  color,  the  sweet  and  unforgettable  beauty  that  only  can  be 
given  by  music  that  breaks  off  from  the  common  run  of  music  back  home." 

The  writer  has  been  able  to  observe  that  during  the  past  four  sum- 
mers, Mr.  Hoffman  with  the  help  and  co-operation  of  the  director  and 
camp  staff  of  Camp  Sequoyah  has  made  remarkable  progress  toward 
achieving  his  goal.  He  has  completely  replaced  jazz  with  music  of 
finer  and  more  lasting  quality,  and  the  campers  have  appreciated  and 
enjoyed  it.  During  the  1934  season  the  camp  group  w^ote  and  pro- 
duced their  own  camp  musical  comedy  and  their  own  camp  plays.  One 
of  the  campers  writing  in  the  final  issue  of  the  camp  paper  speaks  of 
music  thus : 

Music  in  camp  this  summer  has  been  on  a  very  high  plane.  Those  in  charge 
have  conscientiously  tried  to  have  only  that  music  which  is  in  harmony  with  the 
spirit  of  Sequoyah,  in  its  setting  of  hemlocks  and  rock-ribbed  hills.  At  any  hour 
of  the  day  one  might  hear  strains  of  a  Beethoven  Sonata,  a  Chopin  Prelude, 
Uncle  Mike  picking  out  themes  from  a  Tschaikowsky  or  Franck  symphony,  a 
tenor  air  from  the  "Persian  Garden,"  Don  singing  Pagliacci,  the  orchestra  strug- 
gling with  Suppe's  "Poet  and  Peasant,"  or  at  odd  moments  some  young  virtuoso 
picking  out  Chopsticks. 

....  After  a  strenuous  day  there  is  nothing  more  soothing  for  worn  nerves 
or  tired  muscles  than  the  sweet  melodies  from  "Pop's"  cornet  after  taps.  His 
programs  have  contained  many  favorites  from  the  masters." 

Not  alone  in  music,  but  in  many  other  special  fields  of  cultural  ap- 
preciations there  are  among  camping  people  a  large  number  of  directors 
and  counselors,  who,  like  the  one  quoted,  would  take  keen  delight  in 
leading  youth  through  creative  stages  to  a  real  enjoyment  in  their 
favorite  fields.  As  camps  come  to  realize  that  the  day  does  not  need 
to  be  crowded  with  activities  in  order  to  make  boys  and  girls  feel  that 
they  are  having  a  good  time,  nor  to  convince  parents  that  they  are  get- 
ting their  money's  worth,  this  trend  toward  enjoyment  of  things  most 
helpful  in  education  for  leisure  will  become  truly  significant. 


'"Hoffman,  E.  M. ;  The  Place  of  Music  in  the  Summer  Camp ;  and  addre.ss  before 
the  Southern  Section  C.  D.  A.  A.,  Knoxville,  Tenn..  February  14,  1931  Document 
No.,  42. 

"Pickeiing,  Woodrow ;  Music  at  Sequoyah;  The  Thunder  Bird.  Vol.  I.  No.  5. 
p.  2,  Augu.st  21.   1934.      Document  No.  43. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  FUTURE  OF  CAMPING 

In  looking  toward  the  future  of  the  camping  movement,  little  can 
be  done  beyond  raising  questions  which  readers  may  help  to  answer. 
From  his  background  of  studies  and  experiences  the  writer  may  make 
certain  suggestions  and  his  wishes  may  tempt  him  to  use  his  imagina- 
tion and  make  occasional  predictions.  In  fact,  there  have  been  instances 
where  he  has  already  succumbed  to  this  temptation  in  connection  with 
the  problems  and  trends  discussed  in  the  two  preceding  chapters. 

Camping  and  Progressive  Schools 

The  Camp  Directors'  Association  of  America  and  the  Progressive 
Education  Association  held  their  1933  national  conventions  on  the  same 
dates  but  in  widely  separated  parts  of  the  country.  Would  it  be  sur- 
prising to  find  them  holding  their  national  meetings  both  at  the  same 
time  and  at  the  same  place?  Are  they  not  destined  to  a  realization 
that  they  have  enough  in  common  to  make  it  worth  while  to  form  some 
bonds  of  affiliation  for  the  sharing  of  certain  types  of  experience?  Both 
seem  to  be  seeking  similar  goals  for  their  patrons  and  to  be  finding 
common  ground  in  educational  methods,  techniques,  and  philosophies. 

Progressive  education  might  have  come,  had  the  camping  move- 
ment not  prepared  the  way ;  for  there  are  educational  philosophers  and 
experimental  schools  whose  connection  with  organized  camping  would 
be  difficult  to  trace.  No  other  agency  dealing  with  youth  education, 
however,  has  offered  so  wide  a  field  for  experimentation  and  study 
as  has  organized  camping.  Is  not  the  Country  Day  School,  now  render- 
ing large  service,  a  direct  outgrowth  of  the  popularity  of  camping  ex- 
periences? It  has  been  recognized  that  it  is  possible  to  so  change  a 
child's  outlook  on  life  that  his  personality  will  be  continuously  enriched. 
Mason  named  the  five  cardinal  requirements  of  a  camp  as  fun,  health, 
social  adjustment,  knowledge  and  skills  of  the  crafts,  and  appreciations 
of  music,  literature,  art,  nature  and  human  personality.     He  then  said : 

I  would  have  my  boys  and  girls  live  throughout  the  summer  in  a  camp  so  filled 
with  romance  that  it  is  in  a  delightful  sense  an  escape  from  the  materialism  of 
the  larger  world,  and  so  filled  with  picturesqueness  and  color  that  tiieir  imagina- 
tions are  stirred,  never  to  sleep  again.  This  with  the  thought  that  imaginative 
creative  minds  are  America's  greatest  need.  To  this  end  organized  camping,  as 
I  see  it,  is  dedicated.^ 

Statements  of  purpose  of  progressive  schools  sound  quite  similar: 

An  educator  says  that  "encouragement  of  creative  activity  in  chil- 


'Mason,   Bernard   S. ;    Five    Things   to    Require   of   a    Camp;    Parents    Magazine, 
May,   1933,  p.  52. 

167 


168  Organized  Camfing  afid  Progressive  Education 

dren  has  been  a  characteristic  principle  of  progressive  schools."^  He 
states  as  characteristics  of  the  progressive  school,  "consideration  for 
the  physical,  mental  and  emotional  characteristics  of  the  individual 
child"  and  "a  procedure  that  will  guarantee  him  a  chance  to  learn  with 
success  and  happiness."  It  must  enable  the  pupil  "to  live  and  work 
co-operatively  with  his  associates"  and  must  provide  teaching  "that 
guides  but  does  not  dominate."  It  must  provide  "many  opportunities 
for  doing  and  creating  in  materials,  music,  writing  human  relationship." 
Parents  must  be  kept  close  to  the  school  through  all  the  many  ways 
to  help  them  "to  catch  the  spirit  of  the  school,  understand  its  philosophy 
and  therefore  develop  a  more  sympathetic  relationship  with  their  own 
children." 

Then,  too,  we  are  coming  more  and  more  to  the  notion  of  primitive  man  that 
education  and  life  are  one.  There  is  a  tendency  for  barriers  between  school  and 
the  world  to  disappear.  The  school  of  the  future  will  probably  not  be  delimited 
by  the  walls  of  an  institution.^ 

Another  educator  contrasts  the  progressive  school  with  the  formal- 
ized one  in  a  way  that  could  well  be  applied  to  progressive  and  academic 
camps. 

Look  at  the  dull  faces  in  the  average  classroom.  School  work,  school  learning 
is  a  bore.  Most  children  are  not  actively  opposed  to  it.  They  have  been  calloused 
to  sitting  and  listening.  Curiosity,  activity,  if  they  have  survived  at  all,  are 
found  outside  of  school  in  some  hobby. 

This  is  recognized  by  modern  educators.  They  believe  that  these  are  the  most 
valuable  qualities  you  can  cultivate  in  your  boy  or  girl.  All  children's  natural 
energy  goes  into  learning  about  the  world  they  live  in  by  exploring  it :  learning 
to  fit  themselves  into  the  world  by  active  experience.  So  in  progressive  schools 
we  harness  these  natural  impulses  to  education  and  help  the  child  educate  himself 
in  his  own  way.  But  the  impulses  are  not  left  uncontrolled.  They  are  stimulated 
and  directed  into  constructive  channels. 

....  The  discipline  which  comes  of  group  living  is  far  more  real  and  nearer 
to  what  will  be  met  in  later  life  than  is  the  discipline  of  the  autocratic  schoolmaster. 

....  In  the  formal  school  the  teacher  teaches,  but  the  real  life  of  the  children 
themselves  goes  on  outside  the  classroom.  In  the  progressive  school  theret  is  no 
sharp  distinction  between  work  and  play.  All  the  children's  afifairs  are  of  concern 
to  their  teachers  because  they  are  not  interested  primarily  in  teaching  something, 
but  in  the  growth  of  the  child's  whole  personality.^ 

Camp  Directing  A  Fuix  Time  Occupation 

Camping  has  been  able  to  demonstrate  fine  qualities  of  progressive 
education  because  of  the  small  number  of  campers  that  make  up  a 
counselor's  group  as  well  as  because  of  the  number  of  activity  special- 
ists provided.  But  this  very  fact  has  raised  one  of  its  keenest  prob- 
lems. How  can  a  high  standard  be  maintained  for  the  counselorship 
without  making  the  cost  prohibitive  for  all  but  the  children  of  well-to- 


^Fowier,  Burton  P. ;  Progressive  Education  Enters  Second  Pha.se ;  Progre.ssive 
Education,  Vol.  9,  No.    1,  June,   19.32,  p.   4. 

^/bid.,  p.  5. 

^Pollitzer.  Margaret;  New  Schools  for  New  Times;  Parents  Magazine,  May, 
1933,  p.  28. 


The  Future  of  Camping  159 

do  homes?     Those   who   would   make  the   scliool   progressive  have   to 
face  the  same  (Hfticulty. 

The  new  education  requires  smaller  classes,  better  trained  teachers,  more 
equipment  and  a  richer  school  environment.  This  necessitates  a  larpe  per  capita 
cost  and  since  the  public  holds  the  purse  strings,  it  is  evident  that  little  progress 
can  be  made  except  by  public  sanction  and  support.  But  iiere  is  the  dirticulty : 
The  values  of  progressive  education  are  subtle,  not  easily  demonstrable  to  the 
mediocre  and  skeptical  mentality.  .  .  .  The  chief  values  of  progressive  education 
inhere  in  a  certain  vigor  of  spirit  stimulated  and  sustained  in  youth  by  the  con- 
stant opportunity  and  habit  of  expressiveness,  of  analysis,  of  research  work  on  a 
more  creative  level  than  that  which  holds  in  the  traditional  type  of  school.  These 
values   cannot  easily  be  measured." 

At  present  with  the  public  holding  the  purse  strings  much  tighter 
than  for  a  generation,  both  camping  and  progressive  education  are 
being  slowed  up,  and  it  is  most  difficult  to  predict  possible  outcomes. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  camping  reduce  the  expense  by  simplifi- 
cation of  the  program — offering  fewer  of  the  more  expensive  activities — 
and  by  having  the  campers  do  most  of  the  work  connected  with  the 
operation  and  maintenance  of  the  camp.  There  is  merit  in  these  sug- 
gestions and  they  should  be  followed  as  far  as  possible.  They  would, 
however,  scarcely  reduce  the  need  for  a  highly  trained  counselorship. 
Although  they  might  make  possible  some  reduction  in  number  of  coun- 
selors, to  carry  this  too  far  will  rob  camps  of  much  of  their  sui)eriority 
as  educational  agencies. 

The  majority  of  camp  directors  have  had  teaching  experience,  and 
many  of  them  are  now  employed  as  teachers  in  schools  or  colleges  for 
the  major  portion  of  the  year.  While  it  seems  best  for  camping  to 
have  the  directors  giving  their  full  time  to  that  profession,  it  adds  to 
the  expensiveness — to  provide  an  adequate  annual  salary  for  the  direc- 
tor from  camp  alone. 

The  full  time  director  can  study  camping,  do  research,  give  individual 
guidance  to  his  campers  far  better  than  when  spending  most  of  the  year 
on  another  job.  Professional  camp  directors  are  becoming  more  con- 
cerned that  their  campers  have  a  good  year  round  experience  to  cor- 
respond with  their  ideals  and  activities  in  the  camp.  Only  by  consulta- 
tion with  parents  and  through  progressive  schools  can  this  be  provided. 
The  full  time  camp  director  can  spend  more  time  visiting  the  homes  of 
his  patrons  and  counseling  with  them.  Whether  the  trend  toward  a 
full  time  camp  directorship  will  continue  depends  upon  the  direction  our 
educational  systems  take.     It  is  still  an  open  question. 

Camping  and  Public  Education 

Will  education  take  over  camping  and  thus  make  the  school  calendar 
extend  all  year?  Can  public  education  become  sufficiently  progressive? 
The  new  curricula  materials  which  have  been  developed  by  the  teachers 
and  supervisors  of  the  Virginia  Education  Association  during  the  past 
four  years  and  are  now  being  released  in  full  measure  throtighout  the 

''Cobb,  Stanwood  ;  Progressive  Education  Today;  Progressive  Education.  Vol.  IX. 
No.  3,  March.  1932,  p.  225. 


170  Organized  Camming  and  Progressive  Education 

state,  carry  an  emphasis  upon  activity  in  its  relation  to  the  personality 
development  of  the  pupil  which  is  a  long  step  toward  the  camping  ideal. 
Perhaps  we  may  imagine  future  public  schools  all  located  in  parks,  on 
farms,  in  forests,  or  wherever  uncrowded  natural  conditions  obtain ; 
improved  means  of  transportation  would  make  this  possible.  Subsis- 
tence Homestead  developments  and  decentralization  of  industry  should 
make  it  still  more  likely.  The  year  round  program  would  have  much 
in  common  with  our  most  progressive  camps,  with  numerous  excursions 
to  points  of  interest  and  especially  those  of  wild  natural  beauty.  Under 
such  conditions  camping  might  be  largely  absorbed  into  the  school  sys- 
tem ;  or,  more  correctly  speaking,  the  camping  ideal  of  education  might 
capture  the  schools.  Unless  there  is  radical  change,  however,  in  raising 
and  administering  revenue  for  education,  schools  will  change  very 
slowly,  and  organized  camping  will  continue  for  a  long  time  to  supply 
many  boys  and  girls  with  their  most  satisfying  and,  constructive  expe- 
riences. 

Organized  camping  with  its  six  decades  of  history  is  just  beginning 
to  vision  its  possibilities.  Its  outlook  has  been  too  much  isolated  from 
community  forces.  Like  some  churches  who  look  for  the  destruction 
of  this  world  and  all  in  it,  its  hope  has  been,  out  of  all  these  multitudes 
to  "save  a  few."  Realization  is  coming  that  camping  is  close  akin  to 
all  our  other  efiforts  to  rebuild  our  society  and  to  rehabilitate  our  civil- 
ization ;  all  youth  should  be  taught  how  to  live  the  good  life. 

Will  camping  be  truly  creative  or  will  it  become  a  trailer  of  educa- 
tional philosophy?  If  the  camping  movement  can  manage  to  support 
a  large  number  of  full  time  workers  its  chances  are  good  to  remain 
creative,  but  so  long  as  it  lacks  creative  supervision  and  most  of  its 
directors  must  spend  the  major  part  of  their  year  in  other  occupations 
it  will  have  to  look  to  other  fields  to  do  its  research  and  to  formulate 
its  philosophies. 

How  one  should  like  to  release  his  imagination  and  picture  a  great 
well-organized  camping  movement  bringing  suitable  types  of  camping 
experiences  to  all  the  children  in  the  land  and  conducting  continuous 
research  and  experimentation  upon  its  problems.  If  progressive  schools 
and  even  public  education  enter  the  field  of  camping  they  should  be 
welcomed  as  allies  and  not  resented  as  competitors.  The  camping  move- 
ment should  be  prepared  to  lead  and  guide  the  larger  organizations  who 
must  necessarily  move  slowly  along  well  tried  paths.  Public  education 
tends  to  take  set  and  stereotyped  forms  again  after  periods  of  change; 
perhaps  the  camping  movement  can  do  the  creative  experimentation 
which  these  public  bodies  have  rarely  been  able  to  do.  There  is  an 
assured  place  for  a  creative  camping  movement,  but  a  static  or  selfishly 
narrow  camping  movement  will  be  crushed  by  the  educative  forces  it  has 
released.  As  suggested  in  Chapter  Eight,  leaders  of  the  camping 
movement  dare  not  fail  to  find  a  way  to  organize  cooperatively,  and  to 
work  creatively. 


Tht  Future  of  Cam  pin  i^  1  7 1 

Camping  Has  Broad  Relationships 

This  study  has  traced  camping  from  the  small  but  courageous  be- 
ginnings of  pioneer  camp  directors  through  its  periods  of  expansion 
and  into  the  midst  of  an  exceptional  transformation.  There  was  a 
time  when  some  camp  directors  were  influenced  by  the  desires  of 
commercial  exploitation,  but  in  the  main  camping  people  have  been 
idealists  as  well  as  individualists.  The  movement  has  numbered  among 
its  participants  physical  educationists,  physicians,  educators,  sociologists, 
and  psychologists,  all  of  whom  have  drawn  freely  upon  their  respective 
fields  of  thought  in  the  service  of  the  changing  camping  movement.  In 
the  future  camping  will  wish  to  maintain  these  helpful  contacts  as  well 
as  discover  some  geniuses  in  financial  and  cooperative  organization. 

What  sort  of  organization  will  the  future  of  camping  bring  forth? 
Will  it  continue  to  be  a  brief  phase  of  the  programs  of  many  organiza- 
tions? Will  it  scatter  its  energies  in  multiple  groupings  sharing  little 
and  competing  much?  Or  may  there  come  a  time  when  with  united 
front  an  International  Camping  Association  speaking  for  all  the  camp- 
ing groups  of  the  United  States  and  Canada  publishes  magazines,  adver- 
tising and  other  materials  suitable  to  the  various  groups  of  camping 
people ;  supplies  articles  on  camping  research  to  social  science  magazines ; 
fills  sections  in  the  leading  educational  journals;  carries  attractive  camp 
advertising  in  important  national  magazines;  keeps  the  public  informed 
and  interested  in  the  progress  through  regular  nationwide  radio  broad- 
casts? Many  possible  advancements  in  camping  await  such  an  organi- 
zation representative  of  and  responsive  to  the  various  organizational 
and  regional  groups  of  camping  people. 

Camping  and  the  C.  C.  C. 

Today  every  movement  considers  the  effect  upon  it  of  the  New  Deal. 
What  influence  will  the  Civilian  Conservation  Corps  and  the  unprece- 
dented development  of  National  and  State  Parks  have  upon  the  camping 
movement  ? 

It  seems  probable  that  the  work  camps  of  the  C.  C.  C.  will  give 
added  impetus  to  camping  and  outdoor  life,  just  as  every  mobile  move- 
ment of  large  numbers  of  young  men  since  the  Civil  War  has  done. 
Hundreds  of  thousands  of  young  men  have  been  afforded  an  oppor- 
tunity (have  even  been  compelled  by  necessity)  to  live  away  from  home 
in  rural  settings  for  the  first  time.  This  organization  is  not  only  pro- 
viding employment  for  reasonable  working  hours  but  is  striving  to  aid 
the  personality  growth  of  the  men  through  enrichment  of  their  educa- 
tional, vocational,  and  recreational  experiences.  Increasing  emphasis 
is  being  placed  upon  what  happens  to  the  men  in  their  free  time ;  and 
on  the  jobs,  much  more  is  being  done  to  train  them  than  is  the  case 
with  ordinary  employed  labor.  Many  are  youths  fresh  from  school, 
never  having  had  a  job.  The  educational  opportunity  has  much  in 
cpmmon  with  organized  camping. 


172  Organized  Camflng  and  Progressive  Educatuin 

After  planting  millions  of  trees  and  fighting  hundreds  of  forest  fires 
to  protect  the  life  and  growth  of  other  millions  these  men  will  have 
learned  the  reality  of  forests  in  a  new  way.  After  working  for  months 
to  protect  and  enhance  the  natural  beauties  of  State  and  National  Parks, 
will  not  these  men  understand  better  how  to  enjoy  them  with  their 
families  than  they  would  if  they  had  never  been  removed  from  the 
city's  streets  to  spend  a  year  in  some  beautiful  mountain  valley.  Some 
have  been  heard  to  remark,  "Why  I  never  dreamed  there  were  scenes 
like  this"  as  they  watched  the  autumn  foliage  change  its  coloring  for 
the  first  time  in  their  lives  in  a  state  park,  in  whose  preparation  for 
increased  usefulness  they  were  participating.  Many  a  C.  C.  C.  lad  of 
today  will  in  the  future  revisit  with  his  children  the  scenes  of  his  youth- 
ful labors — the  place  where  he  began  to  feel  himself  a  participant  in 
the  nation's  life. 

Whether  the  camping  movement  is  aware  of  it  or  prepared  to  guide 
it  or  not,  the  C.  C.  C.  is  presenting  an  opportunity  to  develop  liner 
appreciations  of  camping  experiences.  What  a  contribution  to  the 
educational  program  of  the  C.  C.  C.  might  be  made  from  the  experience 
of  organized  camping  if  there  were  some  organized  group  to  prepare 
and  oflfer  it !  What  counsel  on  the  organization  and  administration  of 
these  work  camps  for  youth  might  yet  come  from  the  leaders  of  camp- 
ing were  they  prepared  and  eager  to  give  it ! 

Camping  and  the  State  and  National  Parks 

The  new  developments  and  great  expansion  of  the  state  and  national 
park  systems  should  serve  not  as  a  competitive  enterprise,  as  a  few 
camp  directors  seem  to  have  feared,  but  as  additional  facilities  and 
equipment  through  which  the  camping  movement  may  benefit  many 
more  people.  What  new  adaptations  of  the  camping  scheme  may  be 
required  in  order  to  wisely  use  the  new  resources  no  one  can  yet  predict. 
That  the  parks  will  make  possible  and  attractive  a  great  increase  of  the 
family  type  of  camping  seems  unquestionable.  As  public  property  they 
will  doubtless  facilitate  the  camping  activities  of  public  schools,  4-H 
clubs,  and  recreation  departments ;  they  may  aid  organizational  camp 
people  in  securing  and  maintaining  enough  camp  sites  for  their  numer- 
ous clientele.  While  they  may  not  especially  benefit  the  private  camp- 
ing enterprise,  there  should  be  little  conflict  because  the  type  of  camping 
fostered  in  the  parks  will  rarely  be  within  the  economic  range  of  the 
private  camp. 

The  increased  park  systems  may  prove  very  useful  to  those  who 
conduct  gypsy  trips  and  camping  tours  as  part  of  their  summer  camp 
])rograms,  and  an  increase  in  this  feature  of  camping  is  predicted. 
Camps  based  upon  sucli  specialties  as  music,  dancing,  physical  culture 
and  art  are  also  expected  to  increase.     Morgan  says  that : 

Summer  camps  furnish  an  excellent  medium  for  teaching  boys  and  girls  the 
fundamentals  of  social  adjustment.  .  .  .  We  can  at  least  say  that  camp  life  repre- 
sents the  sort  of   situation  that   all   children   should   learn  to   face.     They  should 


The  Future  of  Camping  173 

learn   to  enter   readily   into   new   social   situations,    maki'    frieiuls    with    tlic    dlicr 
members  of  the  group,  and  cooperate  in  group  activities." 

Thtis  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  child  psycholo<;ist  the  incri-asrd 
faciHties  offered  by  more  state  and  national  jiarks  should  he  wclcoincfl 
by  camping  people  as  aids  in  carrying  out  their  iniixjrtant  function. 

Coeducation 

While  it  is  scarcely  possible  at  present  to  speak  of  a  trend  toward 
an  extension  of  coeducational  camping,  it  is  in  line  with  progressive 
educational  philosophy  and  some  progressive  camp  directors  .strongly 
favor  it.  They  believe  it  is  a  more  natural  and  normal  way  of  living. 
Other  prominent  canip  people  oppose  it  with  the  argument  that  each 
sex  has  sufficient  to  learn  during  the  formative  years  without  compli- 
cating their  training  with  any  conflicting  re!ationshii)s  between  the 
sexes.  El  well  says  that  "persons  who  can  successfully  develop  the  best 
in  either  boys  or  girls  are  rare;  anyone  who  can  manage  the  two 
together  must  be  a  genius:"'  Some  of  those  geniuses  do  exist  and  v\'-hen 
the  present  economic  strain  is  eased  there  will  probably  be  more  ven- 
turing in  that  direction.  A  director  who  conducts  a  progressive  co- 
educational camp  has  described  it  very  attractively : 

Just  living  together,  working  together,  playing  together,  boys  and  girls,  men 
and  women — a  very  small  section  of  the  world.  No  prizes,  no  marks,  no  trying 
to  be  better  than  someone  else,  no  trying  to  have  the  best  camp;  just  trying  to 
grow  stronger,  more  alert,  fairer  to  our  campmates ;  not  trying  too  hard,  just 
naturally  learning  to  live  and  grow." 

It  is  an  attractive  picture  and  as  more  camp  people  develop  the 
qualities  of  "genius"  and  the  courage  to  break  with  tradition  we  shall 
probably  have  much  more  of  this  type  of  camping  even  though  there 
is  not  a  marked  trend  toward  it  at  present. 

Camping  and  the  Changing  Social  Order 

The  success  of  the  few  experiments  of  cooperation  between  camping 
and  institutions  of  higher  learning  would  lead  to  an  expectation  that 
there  would  be  a  marked  increase  of  understanding  between  them  re- 
sulting in  better  progress  in  research,  supervision,  and  counselor  train- 
ing. Camp  leaders  have  been  taking  their  places  as  educators  seriously 
while  most  other  educators  are  still  considering  them  as  physical  educa- 
tionists. 

Our  changing  social  order  demands  a  new  type  of  cimping.  \\  ill 
"pioneering"  and  "roughing-it"  have  any  large  place  in  it?  An  ex- 
perienced camp  man  says : 

During  my  14  years,  as  a  camp  director  the  criticism  that  I  fi;id  mosC  often 
directed  against  the  camp  is  that  there  is  an  over  emphasis  upon  physical  activity 
in  camp  life. 


"Morgan,  John  J.  B.,  Ph.  D. ;  Child  Psychology,  pp.  384-.386,  New  York,   1931. 
'Elwell,    A.    F.  ;    The    Summer    Camp;    a    new    factor    in    Education;    Cambridge. 
Harvard   University.    1925. 

*From  Booklet  of  Camp  Housatonic.      Document  No.  44. 


174  Organized  Camfing  and  Progressive  Education 

....  Our  modern  city-bred  children  are  not  fitted  by  reason  of  the  life  they 
lead  the  balance  of  the  year  for  too  abundant  and  indiscriminate  exercise,  with  the 
result  that  instead  of  being  built  up  and  rendered  physically  more  fit  by  their  sum- 
mer at  camp,  they  are  worn  out,  debilitated,  and  physically  harmed. 

....  Every  phase  of  the  camp  program  should  be  so  coordinated  that  no  one 
phase  will  be  predominant.  .  .  .  Adapt  physical  education  to  the  special  needs^  of 
the  individuals  in  your  group.  Be  understanding  and  sympathetic  with  their  other 
needs.' 

This  study  has  shown  that  while  one  of  the  early  talking  points  of 
camp  people  was  to  the  effect  that  it  checked  the  city  softening  process 
by  "roughing-it"  and  aimed  to  save  boys  from  effemanizing  influences; 
camping  then  expanded  while  telling  people  that  it  was  good  for  build- 
ing children  up  physically  so  they  could  do  better  work  in  school  during 
the  remainder  of  the  year ;  gradually  the  social  implications  were  seen 
to  be  quite  as  important  as  the  physical ;  so  it  may  now  confidently  be 
predicted  that  despite  a  few  demands  for  a  return  to  the  rugged  "pio- 
neers," leisure  and  cultural  phases  will  increase  to  round  out  the  picture 
of  happy  wholesome  camp  life. 

There  is  another  rising  movement  with  which  the  camping  movement 
will  doubtless  maintain  a  close  liason :  The  Parent  Education  move- 
ment. These  two  groups  have  a  common  interest  in  their  devotion  to 
the  development  of  happy,  healthy,  wholesome  childhood  and  youth  and 
should  be  able  to  work  together  in  close  accord. 

Many  more  questions  could  be  raised  about  the  future  of  camping. 
If  this  study  has  presented  the  past  of  the  camping  movement  sufficient- 
ly clear  to  give  its  readers  a  true  perspective  upon  present  horizons,  it 
may  well  leave  the  readers  to  enter  into  the  shaping  of  the  future  of 
camping  as  their  judgment  dictates.     It  is  in  their  hands. 

■'Guggenheimer,  Frederick  L. ;  Balancing  the  Camp  Program;  The  Camping 
Magazine,  Vol.  VI,  No.  1,  January,   1934,  p.  4. 


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^ 


INDEX 


Advertising  and  Recruiting,  152. 
Agricultural,  or  4-H   Club  Camps, 

34. 
Autocratic  Method,  62. 
Awards  and  Prizes,   12,  32,  39,  43, 

48,  118. 
B.'V.CKGROUND    of    Camping,    Cultural, 

4,  7. 
Baden-Powell.  Sir  Robert,  27. 
Balch,  E.  B.,  8.  11. 
Beale,  Capt.  F.  L.,  32. 
Beard,  Daniel  C,  27. 
Behavior  Change  Inquiry,  147,  156. 
Behavior  Rating  Scales,  108. 
Birch  Bark  Roll,  27. 
Blue  Ridge  Association,  56. 
"Blue  Ridge  Camper,"  102. 
Blue    Ridge    Counselors'    Institutes, 

147,  169. 
Boy  Scouts  of  America.  28,  41,  141, 

144. 
Camp  Ahmek,  47. 
Camp  Algonquin,  14. 
Camp  Aloha,  21. 
Camp  Arey,  21. 
Camp  Barnard,  21. 
Camp  Chicorua,  8,  11. 
Camp  Dudley,  15,  45. 
Camp  H.\rvard,  12. 
Camp  Kehonka,  21. 
Camp  Oneka,  21. 
Camp  Pineland,  21. 
Camp  Quansit,  21. 
Camp  Sequoyah,  166. 
C.^MPCRAFT  Class,  75. 
Camp  Conferences,  76. 
Camp  Council,  86. 
Camp,  Directing,  168. 
C.A.MPING  as  Cooperative  Living,   TOl. 
Camping  as  Education,  21,  25,  41. 
Camp  Directors  Associations,  26,  40, 

132.  144.  146,  167. 
Camp  Fire  Girls,  29,  140. 
Camp-Outs  and  Trips,  4,  5. 
Clarke.  A.  S.,  5. 
Clark.  J.  C,  30. 
Citizens  Military  Training  Camps, 

31,  33. 
Civilian  Conservation  Corps,  171. 
Christian  Citizenship  Training  Pro- 
gram. 49.  58. 
Coeducation,  173. 


CoLLiNGS,  Ellsworth,  75. 
Cost  Accounting,  150,  169. 

Co.MRADES   HaNDB(H)K.  58. 

Cobb,  Stanwood,  169. 

Counselors,  Selection  of,  21.  149. 

Counselors.  Training,  85,  148,  159. 

Counselors,  Function,  117. 

Crackel,  M.  D.,  47. 

Creative  Supervision,  147. 

Cultural  Appreciations,  165. 

Culver,  31. 

Cumulative  Records  of  Campers.  108. 

"Dad's  Week,"  158. 

DeCkoly  School.  138. 

DeMerriette.  Edwin,  12. 

Democratic  Method,  15,  85,  124. 

Dewey,  John,  75. 

Discussion  Groups,  88. 

DiMocK,  Hedley  S.,  161. 

Dudley.  Sumner  F.,  15. 

Dunn.  Robert,  12. 

Educational    Philosophy,    119.    132, 

156,   160. 
Educational  Changes,   123,   132,  156. 
Ellis.  Carlyle,  25. 
El  WELL.  A.  F.,  113,  173. 
Evaluation  Methods,  91,  151. 
Expansion   of   Camp  Movement,  21. 
Fagans,  Philip,  64. 
Fowr.ER,  Burton  P.,  168. 
Freedom  in  Early  Camp,  32. 
Fresh  Air  Camps,  34. 
Garrett,  Laura  B.,  165. 
Genetic  Psychology,  23. 
Gestalt  Psychology,  138. 
Gibson,  H.  W.,  28,  43,  158. 
Girl  Scouts.  29,  141. 
Gf".i  Gu'des  29. 
GiR'.  RescrvivS,  29. 
Girls  Organizations.     Rise  of,  29. 
Goodwill  Camps,  6. 
Government  of  Camps.  116. 
Gr/vham.  Rali'h,  .39. 
G-joupixg,  116 

Group  Activity  at  Scy  Camp,  64. 
Gregg.  A.  J.,  75. 
Gulick,  L.  H.,  21,  26,  29. 
Gulick,  Mrs.  E.  L.,  41. 
guggexheimer.  f.  l.,  174. 
Gunnery  School,  4. 
Hall,  G.  Stanley,  23. 
Hamilton,  A.  E.,  158. 


179 


180 


Organized  Camping  and  Progressive  Education 


Health  in  Camps,  104,  162. 

Henderson,  C.  Han  ford,  19. 

Hendry.  C.  E.,  150. 

HiLEMAN,  W.  R.,  50. 

Hiking  at  Scy  Camp,  99. 

Hinckley,  G.  W.,  6. 

Hoffman,  E.  M.,  166. 

Honor  Emblem  Systems,  45,  58,  118, 

128. 
Hurt,  H.  W.,  144. 
Hutchinson^  Woods,  163. 
Interest  Groups,  97,  102. 
Individual  Guidance,  105. 
Informal  Education,  145. 
Johnson.  C.  Walton,  159. 
"Kaighn.  R.  p.,  16,  45. 
Kewaydin  Camps.  5. 
KiLPATRicK,  W.  H.,  39,  75. 
Kinnicutt,  W.  H.,  24. 
Leisureliness,  162. 
Leisure  Time  Agencies  and  Camping, 

30. 
Lehman,  E.  H.,  4. 
Lewis,  Calvin,  22. 
McDonald,  L.  L.,  41. 
Macfarlane,  Peter,  27. 
Manual  Training  Introduced,  22. 
Ma-Mo-Da- Yo.  21. 
Mattoon,  Laura,  21. 
Mason,  Bernard  S.,  141,  167. 
Meylan,  Geo.  L.,  40. 
MiLiT.\RY  Campaigns  and  Camping,  4, 

31. 
Miller,  Joaquin.  30. 
Morgan,  John  J.  B.,  173. 
Music  as  Creative  Activity,  165. 
Municipal  Camps  Begun,  34. 
Mulpord,  W.  M.  and  R.  J.,  25. 
Murray,  Rev.  W.  H.  H.,  4.  6. 
Nature  Lore  Emphase^s,  90. 
"N^w."  pt-v!"  p'n5i| ]CdmiJing,'  IVIX. ; ' :    - 
Nessmuk,''  A\  / '  '..''*..;    . .  i^ . ,  i  .'' ; 
Organization  Camps,  14p.  , 
Origin  of  Camping,  8.    -\  {  '^ 
Outdoor  Movements  in  Eurbpe,  30. 
Parent  Eduf^tinit,:  157."*;  •".    .'.       ". 
Parks,  Stits  .arid'  NaiioiiaL  J72>\  ^^  '■ 
Personality'  Portrafts.'Tn, 
Personal  Counselling,  112. 
Personality  Change,  106,  161. 
Philosophy  of  Cooperative  Camping, 

115. 
Physical  Education  Introduced,  22. 
PoLLiTzKR,  Margaret,  168. 
Pioneer  and  Primitive  Camping,  141. 


Progressive  Camps  &  Schools,  138. 

Progressive  Education  Assn.,  157. 

Program  Policy,  117. 

Promotion  Materials,  152. 

Public  Education  and  Camping,   169. 

Public  School  Camp,  Origin,  32,  35. 

Questionnaires  for  Parents,  109. 

Reaction  Against  City  Life,  6,  21. 

Recruiting  Campers,  152. 

Recapitulation    Theory    of    Child 
Growth,  23. 

Robinson,  E.  M..  16,  36. 

Rothrock,  J.  T.,  5. 

RouiLLON,  Louis,  19. 

Safety.  162. 

Sanders,  Edward  J..  148,  151,  162. 

Sargent,  Porter,  5,  8. 

Scouting  Introduced,  27. 

SCY  Camp,  55,  flf. 

School  "Camp-Outs,"  4. 

School  Calendar,  American,  7. 

vSeminars,  George  Williams  College, 
156. 

Seton,  E.  T.,  27. 

Sears,  George  W.,  4. 

Self  Government  in  Camp,  85. 

Sharp,  Lloyd  B.,  34. 

Southern  Col.  of  Y.  M.  C.  A..  55. 

Stone,  Walter  L.,  106,  160. 

SoRENSON,  Roy,  146. 

Solomon,  Ben,  36. 

Statten.  Taylor,  29. 

Summer   Camps,    Sargent's   Hand- 
books, 5,  8. 

Talbot,  W.  T.,  21. 

Taylor,  Charles  K.,  31. 

Taylor,  J.  Madison,  35. 

ThorEau,  Henry  David,  4. 

Thorndyke,  E.  L.,  75. 

Virginia  Education  Association,  169. 

Volunteer  Camp  Leaders,  36. 
, V.OI.UNTARISTTC  Philosophy,  138. 
'VVarren,  Gertrude,  34. 

\Vatson.  Goodwin.  149. 

West,  Jas.  E.,  27. 

Weber.  Verrel.  145. 
.Woodcraft  and  Pioneering  Organiza- 

:  tions,  27,  64. 

Woodcraft  Indians,  28,  42. 

Woodcraft    Council    Ring    Program, 
81. 

World  War  and  Camping,  31. 

Y.  M.  C.  A.    Boys  Workers  Assembly, 
Estes  Park,  123. 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  and    Standardization,    140. 

Y.  W.  C.  A.  and  Camping,  140. 


/^ 


i 


Free  Library  of  Philadelphia 

796.7  W21 

Ward,  Carlos  Edgar. 

Organized  camping  and  progress 


3  2222  03882  9927 


THE  FREE  LIBRARY  OF  PHILADELPHIA 


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